Feature Stories

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

CHAMPAIGN — It was a 3A state tournament with a little bit of everything for everyone who paid their way into the State Farm Center in Champaign on the campus of the University of Illinois.

Caleb Noble, Dom Munaretto, Nicholas Garcia, Will Denny and Aaron Stewart became two-time state champions, Seth Mendoza went even better by claiming his fourth in a row.

Evan Gosz and Charles Walker rocked the house with breathtaking efforts, while a half-dozen others climbed atop the podium for their first time.

Rocco Cassioppi and Ricky Ericksen erased the heartbreak of finishing second a year ago with inspiring efforts to win the big trophy this time around.

The wrestling world is a stage, and when the lights came back on following the Grand March, 28 young men treated the crowd to quite a show.

Here’s a look at the champions and medal-winners:

106- MJ Rundell (Oak Park- River Forest)

The names of those who have represented the storied Oak Park-River Forest program atop the podium in its history have been among some of the most well known in the sport – including the Rundell family.

Of the 27 state titles won by the Huskies, three have come from Rundell brothers Matt (2015), Jake (2018), and now MJ, who added the third state title to the family trophy case this year.

MJ Rundell (41-2) the No. 1 man at 106 pounds throughout the season put together a workmanlike six minute effort to defeat No. 3 Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) to claim the top prize.

“I knew after I went up 4-0 late in the second period that I would be able to ride him hard the rest of the way,” said Rundell, who was a state qualifier a year ago with a 32-10 record.

“I wasn’t happy with the way things went last year at state, so it was important for me to get stronger mentally and physically if I wanted to turn that around this season, so those were two areas of my game that I looked to improve on,” added Rundell.

“MJ did a fantastic job (sticking) to his style of wrestling throughout the tournament, his focus was unmatched, and he was completely locked in with his coaches during the workout and matches down here,” said Huskies head coach Paul Collins.

Rundell (23 pins, 11 tech-falls, 113 takedowns)  cruised into his final, while the route for Odiotti required a little more effort.

After a 10-2 decision in his state opener, Odiotti needed extra time to defeat Sebastian Gracia (Mt. Carmel) in his quarterfinal contest, followed by a hard fought 4-3 victory over No. 2 Maddox Garbis (Plainfield North, 35-3) in the semifinals.

Garbis will wrestle in the fall at Northern Illinois University.

Rundell used a tech fall, a major, and a fall to reach the finals.

“I’d say his greatest improvement is with the confidence in his abilities, and after winning Fargo in both Freestyle and Greco, he placed himself on another level as a competitor,” Collins said. “Some may shy away from that spotlight, but with MJ he has fully stepped into it and embraced that role.”

Rundell already has a family goal set for next season.

”It’s great to win a state title, but next year I want to win another so I can have bragging rights over both of my brothers,” Rundell said.

Marmion Academy sophomore Preston Morrison (37-12) earned third place over Addison Trail freshman Nikolas Duarte (37-8) with Gracia (29-13) coming back to grab fifth place over Garbis in a medical forfeit.

113- Caleb Noble (Warren)

Just two matches after the Charles Walker-Kai Calcutt final brought the fans up and out of its seats, one of the most eagerly-anticipated rematches — between Caden Correll and Caleb Noble — brought the State Farm Center audience to attention.

Correll’s 13-8 defeat of Noble earlier in the season fueled the interest in this 113-pound final.

With a relentless all-out attack from the opening whistle, Noble enjoyed the majority of the play which led to a 5-1 advantage after the first period.

From there, the Warren sophomore  continued to score until it became an insurmountable 14-5 lead before ending with a 17-5 victory and second-straight state title for Noble, whose acrobatic flip gave the big crowd reason to roar its approval.

“That loss to Caden was kind of a wake-up that I needed at the time, and it helped me get a little more grounded and focused in my training, and mental approach to help me get back on top of the podium,” opined Noble, whose season ends with a 44-2 record.

Both men earned plenty of major titles during the campaign, including Correll (48-1) winning at the Dvorak and Noble claiming the top prize at the Ironman.

The Normal Community senior had hoped to claim the first state title in program history, but will instead take home his third state medal of his career to give the Pioneers their 14th overall.

Noble, along with the state title won by teammate Aaron Stewart, increases the Blue Devils’ medal count to 20 overall, with seven of those state championship medals.

No. 3 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, 47-2) came back from a stunning quarterfinal defeat to Oleksandr (Sasha) Havrylkiv (34-4) to defeat the Buffalo Grove freshman in the third place match.

The next stop for Hayes will be to the University of Virginia where he will take with him a trio of third-place state medals, and over 170 career victories, while Havrylkiv, a three-time youth National Champion in the Ukraine, brings home the first ever state medal for the Buffalo Grove program.

Aidan McClure (Marmion Academy, 29-10) defeated Colin Abordo (41-14) of Huntley in the fifth place match.

120- Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East)

At or near the top in the national rankings in a handful of polls, Dom Munaretto is unquestionably the No. 1 man in the state at 120 pounds.

The St. Charles East junior dismantled four rivals over the three days in Champaign, en route to his second state championship in three years to add yet another big prize to an ever-growing trophy case.

The two-time freestyle world champion registered his seventh major title of the season following his 19-3 tech-fall at 4:19 over Schaumburg’s No. 2 Brady Phelps, who ended a superb career as a four-time state medal winner.

Munaretto hit the ground running on Thursday afternoon with the first of four tech-fall victories, thanks in part to his tenacity, speed, flair, and a lethal finishing quality that led to his 25 take-downs, while conceding not nary a single takedown in his four bouts here.

“I’ve matured so much from last year, both mentally and as a wrestler, and this year there’s no doubt in my mind at all,” said Munaretto, who admitted to having a slight hint of doubt before his 4-2 loss to Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy) in the 113-pound state final last season.

“I’m also bigger and stronger from last year, and my approach before each match is so much better as well,” Munaretto said. “It has allowed me to take control of my opponents early on, and dictate the match.”

Saints coach Jason Potter has seen Munaretto evolve since last season.

“Dom is a terrific young man, an amazing wrestler and competitor, and there is no doubt that his game has gone to another level, much of that due to how he has matured as a person and wrestler,” Potter said.

The win over Phelps (42-5) gives Munaretto 154 victories in his career.

Chazz Robinson (41-6) the sophomore from Homewood-Flossmoor made his first visit to Champaign a successful one after his 8-5 sudden victory over Jackson Olson  (Hononegah, 44-11) gave him a third place medal.

Jamiel Castleberry (Oak Park-River Forest, 31-7) who placed fourth a year ago at 106 while at Proviso East, beat Andrew junior Nadeem Haleem (37-10) in the fifth place match.

126- Nicholas Garcia (Marmion Academy)

One year after stunning the wrestling world with his 4-2 decision over then-No. 1 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) to win his first state championship, Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia found himself as the one that all of his rivals were chasing this season.

Garcia brushed aside three of his opponents to reach the final, dashing the hopes of all who had hoped to upset the top rated junior, before recording an impressive 14-1 major decision over Michael Esteban (Marist, 35-8) to claim his second straight state crown, and 24th in the Cadets’ program history.

“I felt from the very start of the season (if) I stayed healthy, worked hard, and kept my training and fitness at a high level that I could win another state title,” said Garcia, now 25-1 after his 126-pound triumph.

“Michael and I had a real tough final at the Hinsdale Central sectional last weekend, in a match that I felt I could have wrestled a little differently,” Garcia said of his 2-1 tie-breaker victory.

“I knew I had to get to my offense much more than I did last week. That was the game plan, and I feel like I set the tone right away with my take-down in the first period,” continued Garcia, who was fourth here in 2023.

“I wasn’t going to give (Esteban) much of anything if I could help it. I got to the waist right away, and just never allowed him to find any rhythm.”

It became 7-0 midway through the second period, with Garcia nearly pinning the Marist star, who is now twice a state runner-up to go with a sixth-place finish here in 2022.

Garcia was relentless in his quest to put more points on the scoreboard, and eventually built an 11-0 advantage in the second period.

“When I wrestle the way I did this weekend, and especially in the final, I feel like I can beat anyone,” opined Garcia. “This was a great weight class, with a bunch of state placers, and a lot of state qualifiers, so it took a real solid effort all weekend to come out with a state title.”

No. 4 Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy, 42-12) is now a three-time state medal winner after his 11-7 victory over Grant junior Vince Jasinski (Grant 46-8) in the third place bout.

Jasinski was marvelous all season long for the regional and league champion Bulldogs, breaking a program record originally set by the three-time state champion Lee Munster for number of pins on the season with 34.

And what a terrific four-year career for Kalani Khiev (Glenbard North, 45-5), fifth overall, giving him his second state medal in four appearances. Plainfield North junior Aidan Durell (36-14) placed sixth.

132- Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah)

One year ago it was a classic No. 1 versus No. 2 in back-to-back weekends when No. 1 Caleb Noble (Warren) defeated No. 2 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 7-4 in a sectional final, followed by another tense six-minute affair that ended 6-5 in favor of Noble in the 106-pound state final seven days later.

Fast forward one year, and the move from 126 pounds by Cassioppi added some extra muscle to make an already top-heavy 132-pound bracket that much more impressive.

Demetrios Carrera (Marmion Academy, 46-7) and Illinois-bound George Marinopoulos (Marist, 39-7) had a stranglehold of the top two spots in this weight class all year long.

However, after Cassioppi dashed the hopes of Carrera in his quarterfinal match, then recorded a tech-fall victory over Griff Powell (Lyons Township, 35-7), it was then up to 

Marinopoulos to get past Justin Williamson (Mt. Carmel) to set the stage in the state final.

Once there, Cassioppi carried a 5-0 advantage deep into the third period before holding off a fierce fight-back from Marinopoulos to ensure a 5-4 victory and his state title.

“We did not have too much of a game plan going into the final,” began Hononegah head coach, Tyler DeMoss, himself a two-time state runner up for his alma mater.

“Just wrestle hard and get into as many positions that (Rocco) likes to wrestle in. He does best when there’s a lot of action, and he doesn’t let his opponents slow him down.”

This state title is the 10th in program history, two of which coming from Cassioppi’s All-American brother Tony (2017, 2018) at 285 pounds.

It’s also an eighth seventh state title for the Cassioppi family; sister Rose won in 2022, and sister Angelina won her fourth state title at this year’s girls state tournament in Bloomington.

“You are wrestling for yourself, but you’re also wrestling for your wrestling family here at Hononegah. It’s a pride thing,” said Cassioppi.

The lone two losses on the season for Cassioppi (47-2) came to out-of-state opponents.

“Rocco has improved a lot this season on and off the mat,” DeMoss said. “He had a tough time at 126 at the Ironman, but has made technical adjustments, and learned how to take better care of his body after weighing in.

“Using what he learned, he’s been able to have better performances on a more consistent basis.”

Carrera finished third overall following his defeat of Elijah Garza (Hersey, 42-11) with Williamson fifth after edging Powell, 5-4.

138 – Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel)

If you took a blank canvas and tried to design the perfect wrestler, and then had it custom built, it might be Mount Carmel senior Seth Mendoza.

Mendoza is a high-spec wrestler who comes equipped with all the trimmings. You’d be hard-pressed to find another one like him.

With his phenomenal work rate, boundless energy, technical and tactical genius, Mendoza burst out of the blocks late Thursday afternoon and never looked back.

The Missouri-bound Mendoza received a well-deserved standing ovation following his technical fall victory over four-time state medalist Thomas Silva (Hononegah, 41-4), which gave Mendoza his fourth-consecutive state championship.

“There was always talk about me winning four state titles, but it was just talk because you have to win your first to maybe get four,” Mendoza said. “So the focus for me was always what is in front of me.”

Mendoza became only the 15th wrestler in IHSA history to be a four-time champ.

One goal that Mendoza nearly reached was claiming tech-fall victories in all of his matches here in Champaign during his four-year career, which he came close to reaching. He did so in 15-of-16 state finals matches across the four weight classes (106, 113, 126, 138) he competed in.

“(Mendoza) always stayed in the moment,” Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis said. “He made sure to stay balanced and grounded, always getting better with each day. By doing so, he took all the pressure off that may come his way by being in the constant spotlight down here.”

Despite his undivided attention to the sport of wrestling, Mendoza still finds time to partake in several other hobbies and activities to keep his mind and body fresh.

Mendoza (36-1) is a licensed pilot, does wood burning, hunts, and is planning on running in the Boston Marathon this April.

Hononegah’s Silva is now a three-time state runner-up, with a 1A state title at 126 pounds on his resume while wrestling at Dakota

Erik Rodriguez (Grant, 50-7) capped a magnificent junior campaign with his 50th win to help the Bulldogs star claim a third place state trophy following his defeat of Oak Park and River Forest senior Joseph Knackstedt (35-5) who is off to Cornell University to wrestle.

Ryan Ritchie (Edwardsville, 36-10) finished fifth and Drew Fifield (Fremd, 36-7) was sixth overall in his first state appearance. It would be a thrilling come-from-behind 12-11 victory by Fifield in his wrestle-back quarterfinal that would ensure his state medal.

144- Evan Gosz (Fremd)

If Evan Gosz had wings, he would have been flying high into the rafters of the State Farm Center after his 144-pound final.

The Fremd Vikings senior created the first of two earthquake-like tremors throughout the stadium when he put his good friend, and workout partner Zach Stewart of Marmion to his back 72 seconds into the second period, winning by fall to win the title.

The roar of the crowd might have been heard back in Palatine on the campus of Fremd. Gosz (47-2) had a look of disbelief on his face when he had his hand raised as state champion.

“It felt like a fever dream. It didn’t seem real to me at that point,” said Gosz, on his way to wrestle at Michigan State University in the fall.

Gosz won his first state title and fourth state medal during a brilliant career for Fremd head coach Jeff Keske.

“We’ve all come to believe that Evan is capable of anything,” Keske said. “He is an incredible athlete with a great work ethic. And he found a way to move on through and all-star weight class this weekend.”

“Zach and I know each other so well,” said Gosz, who placed second last year and third twice. “There are no secrets with the way we wrestle. To be honest, I was really nervous before the final, and pretty much before all of my matches down here.

“I’m not sure why that was, but when the whistle went off the nerves kind of went away and didn’t affect me at all. I felt good right from the start against Zach, and when I got that escape at the start of the second period to go up 1-0, and even better when I defended that single from Zach.”

At three minutes, the stadium exploded when Gosz put Stewart to his back.

“Zach is just an incredible athlete and wrestler, so there was no way I was going to let up to give him any kind of chance. So I just tightened things up on him.”

When Stewart moved up from 138 pounds before the postseason, it meant there were no less than five state medal winners in the bracket, including No. 2 Donavon Allen (Marist, 31-8), whom Gosz beat 4-3 in his quarterfinal before defeating No. 4 Ryan Hinger (Sandburg, 44-5) in the semifinals.

Prior to heading downstate, Gosz visited Vikings athletic director Hamid Mehreioskouei and noticed framed pictures of state swimming champion Katie Kuehn, and state singles tennis champ, Andrew Spurck proudly displayed on the office walls, with an empty frame alongside.

“Evan asked what that frame was for, and I told him it was reserved for him,” laughed Mehreioskouei, who stayed Friday and Saturday to watch the newest Fremd state champion deliver the sixth state title in program history, and first since Robert Panayi did so in 2005.

Gosz continued a streak of four straight state champions from the MSL after Jaxson Penovich (Prospect) did so a year ago, after back-to-back state titles from Ethan Stiles from Conant.

Hinger finished third, with Allen fourth, and three-time state placer Max Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey, 45-9) fifth and Brayden Swanson (Oswego 42-11) sixth.

150- Carson Weber (Joliet West)

No. 1 Justin Wardlow (Lockport, 45-4) appeared poised to erase the heart-break of finishing second here in two straight seasons as the Lockport junior rolled through the postseason, while defeating his closest rival Carson Weber in the final at the Joliet Central sectional.

Weber (44-6) who outscored his opponents during the state series 85-20 shut out his first two opponents here, before advancing into the final after a hard fought 7-3 match with Ashton Hobson (30-6) from Marmion Academy.

Wardlow, 83-20 in his first two seasons with Lockport, looked unstoppable during his two tech-falls victories, and then posted a solid effort in his 7-1 semifinal victory over Nolan Vogel of Joliet Catholic.

“There was a lot of emphasis put on Carson to just wrestle his match, forcing positions we wanted to be in,” said Joliet West head coach Awais Arain.

“We did not implement a game plan that limited him offensively, yet still allowed him to maintain good positioning, and ensure he neutralized (Wardlow) defensively. What we did want to do was force the tie-ups, win the hand fights, hang heavy on his head, push the pace with forward pressure, and crowd him for the entire six minutes.”

Mission accomplished.

“I knew it would be a tight match, but I did not expect a 1-0 match,” admitted Weber, who was third a year ago at 144 with a sparkling 44-2 record.

“I lost to Justin twice during the last two weeks, but I learned some things from both matches, and I felt like I stayed with what we wanted to do, while staying away from his ‘blast double’ which is his best move.”

“Eliminating the threat of Jordan’s ‘blast double’ by not being a sitting target like we were in the sectional final was huge for Carson,” Arain said. “So with him constantly circling, and refusing him to ‘time-up’ his shot was the difference.

Weber recorded 21 tech-falls on the season, ten pins, and a bonus percentage rate of 80% on the campaign.

The 1970’s produced eight of the nine state champions at Joliet West, with Weber delivering No. 10 for the program.

“Wrestling in Joliet is on the rise,” proclaimed Weber, after watching Joliet Central’s Charles Walker’s stunning win at 215. “The sport is growing once again, so hopefully next season there will be a few more state place winners from our area.”

Arain saw Weber take a few strides this season.

“Carson continued to grow, develop and evolve as a wrestler,” Arain said. “But the most notable improvement this season was his mental toughness and mental fortitude.”

Hobson finished third ahead of Yorkville sophomore Val Rosauer (45-10), with Vogel taking fifth place honors over Schaumburg senior Callen Kirchner.

157- Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel)

As it happens all too often, the make-up of many sectional weight division brackets set up a handful of finals that are a rematch of a sectional final from the week before.

Such was the case on Saturday night when Liam Kelly faced West Aurora senior Dominic Serio for the 157-pound crown, allowing Kelly to avenge his 7-3 loss to Serio in the Hinsdale Central sectional final.

To get into the Grand March, Kelly, a junior from Mount Carmel needed to send off  No. 1 Jack Ferguson in his semifinal, which he did in extra time with a 2-1 tie-breaker triumph.

Serio had his hands full with the sensational sophomore from Huntley, Radic Dvorak (45-5) who is sure to be a name to watch during his next two seasons.

Serio (36-5) dispatched Dvorak with a pin at 5:26. That meant the Nos. 1 and 2 men at 157, who finished that way at the Dvorak tournament in late December were forced to make their stand in wrestle-backs.

“I lost to Serio last week at Hinsdale (Central),” Kelly said. “I learned some things from that final that I looked for, and was real sure that I did not want to lose to him twice in two weeks.”

Kelly defended with all of his might in the first period with Serio going after the all-important first take-down. Kelly earned an early escape at the start of the second period before Serio grabbed a 3-1 advantage with a take-down at 2 1/2 minutes.

Stout defense was the key to Kelly staying within two points until a late escape cut Serio’s lead to 3-2 when the period came to an end.

Kelly went on to win the match 4-3.

“I was hoping for a rematch because that loss stayed with me all week leading up to our trip downstate,” admitted Kelly. “During the week, we worked on staying in good position, being composed, and not coming out of my stance.”

The Kelly (34-5) title, along with Mendoza’s crown, gives the Caravan its 45th state title in program history. Add two other state medals earned from teammates Sebastian Gracia (106) and Justin Williamson at 132, and the program’s medal count is now a robust 140.

“(Liam) has come a long way in 365 days, so to see him make adjustments, and get himself so much better after a terrible time here a year ago, is something we are all proud of,” Caravan coach Alex Tsirtsis said.

“I always felt like I was the best in the state at my weight, but having the support of my coaches, teammates, coaching staff, parents and my brother Colin (two-time state champion) proved to be a big difference for me,” said Kelly.

Serio, along with his junior brother Dayne, who earned a sixth place state medal at 165, brought the state medal count to eight for West Aurora.

Jack Ferguson (Yorkville, 51-3) finished third, Dvorak was fourth, with Jaedon Calderon (Lockport, 36-15) fifth after his 7-1 decision over Jovan Vukajlovic (30-9) from Homewood-Flossmoor, who was fifth a year ago in Florida at their state tournament.

165- Will Denny (Marist)

Nationally-ranked and the No. 1 man here in Illinois, Will Denny, did it again.

The sensational senior from Marist captured his second consecutive state title, this one to go along with his 150-pound title from a year ago. That gave the North Carolina State-bound Denny three top-four state medals during a superb four-year run for the RedHawks.

“It’s a real blessing to win another title,” Denny said. “This one is ten times better than last year, so I am going to take plenty of time to enjoy it.” 

Denny improved to 42-1 on the season with the win.

“I am very fortunate to be in a great room every day, and to have great partners like (Tommy) Fidler, (Ethan) Sonne, and Ricky Ericksen, who got himself a well-deserved state championship this weekend,” Denny said. “(And) to have a coaching staff at Marist that is second to none is a big reason for my success, and the success of the rest of my teammates.”

Denny finished fourth as a sophomore, one year after advancing downstate for the first time in his rookie season. His lone defeat this year came in the Ironman finals to Kody Routledge (Oklahoma), who is also nationally-ranked.

Denny would tech-fall his way into his final against Hononegah sophomore Brody Sendele (18-2) who missed over a month with a knee injury.

“Brody is an amazing wrestler, but unfortunately that knee injury of his is going to require ACL surgery, which made him less than 100% for our final, but still very competitive despite it all,” said Denny, who recorded his fourth tech-fall of the weekend at 3:24 with a lead of 20-5.

Marist coach Brendan Heffernan wasn’t surprised by Denny’s performance.

“There’s a reason that Will won here for the second time,” Heffernan said. “It’s all incredible hard work, in and out of the room, and during the offseason. His dedication to excellence, and work ethic are just as important. He’s just a terrific young man.”

Joliet Catholic junior Luke Hamiti (26-8) was third after his win over Indiana University-bound Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East, 45-8) with Warren junior Royce Lopez (32-8) fifth over Dayne Serio (West Aurora, 48-5)

175- Aaron Stewart (Warren)

What a memorable first two months of the 2024-2025 season it has been for Aaron Stewart.

The Warren junior claimed his second-consecutive state title in Champaign at 175 pounds, giving the No. 1 rated Steward three medals in as many years.

In addition, Stewart (43-2), after taking home his third straight league, regional and sectional titles, formally announced he will attend the University of Illinois in the fall of 2026 where he will play football and wrestle under head coach Mike Poeta.

“Being a two-sport person in college is something that I’ve been thinking about doing for quite some time,” said Stewart following his hard-fought 5-2 decision over Homewood-Flossmoor senior RJ Robinson (40-7). Robinson was a state champion and a three-time state medal winner in Arizona before making his move to the Midwest.

Stewart struck early on in the finals with a take-down, building a 5-1 advantage after four  minutes, and then kept Robinson under wraps until the whistle ended this six-minute contest.

Stewart, who rises early to begin a rigorous training schedule, says the biggest difference for him since a year ago is his confidence, something that made him believe he would conquer the field in Champaign on his way to the top of the podium.

On the football side of things, Stewart ran for nearly 1650 yards as a sophomore, with 20 touchdowns, before earning IHSA All-State honors this fall after an astounding 2465 yards on the ground, and 34 touchdowns.

“It will be a challenge to be both a football player and wrestler when I get to Illinois, but I’ve developed good habits with my academics and with my training, so I feel I’ll be ready for anything that comes my way.

A quartet of terrific seniors dominated the proceedings in this very talented weight class, beginning with Connor Diemel (Hononegah, 44-7). Diemel won his first state medal with a third place finish, followed by three-time state medalist Luke Zook (Yorkville, 48-5) who will play football in the fall at Lindenwood University (Missouri) as a defensive back.

Fabian Ramirez (Elgin, 29-4) gave the Maroons their 19th state medal in program history with a fifth-place finish over Henry Rydwelski (46-6) from Naperville Central.

190- Ricky Ericksen (Marist)

Ricky Ericksen gave Marist its second state title of the night when he defeated Nico Ronchetti of Joliet Catholic Academy in a hard-fought contest between the top two guys in the state at this weight class

These two stayed exclusively at the edge in a chess-like first period of play, with Ericksen (37-7) being hit with a warning for stalling with 25 seconds remaining.

Ericksen and Ronchetti (38-7) traded escapes as each started down in the second and third periods. Ericksen got hold of a leg and then finished his late shot to register a 4-1 victory.

“It was kind of the way I figured this would go with Ronchetti,” Ericksen said. “It was a real intense, physical, and defensive match. I knew it would likely come down to one shot being the difference, and finishing that shot made me a state champion.” 

Ericksen will wrestle in the fall at Ohio University.

“I was able to beat Nico earlier (7-3) in the season, but here with a lot more on the line, I knew I had to be ready to go hard for six minutes, wrestle smart, and make sure I would be a hundred perfect with my shot.”

Ericksen was runner-up to Colin Kelly (Mt. Carmel, University of Illinois) a year ago at 175 pounds. He opened this year’s tournament with a tech-fall at 1:40, before pinning his way into the Grand March. Ronchetti is now a three-time state medal winner.

“It was a terrible feeling to finish second last year,” Ericksen said. “I never wanted to feel like that again. Winning this state championship is the best.”

Marist coach Brendan Heffernan applauded his senior.

“Ricky is a true team leader, someone you can rely on every day,” Heffernan said. “This year, he is so much more comfortable out there. It showed with the terrific performance he turned in to win a state championship.”

Another impressive group of seniors took home the next four state medals, beginning with Ryder Janeczko (Yorkville, 38-7) now a two-time state medalist after his win over Kurt Smith (46-6), one of just a few seniors on the starting lineup at state power Hononegah.

Zach Kruse (Hinsdale Central, 44-7) who will play football in the fall at UW-Platteville was fifth overall, just ahead of junior Simon Schulte (34-14) from Edwardsville.

215- Charles Walker (Joliet Central)

Charles Walker caused a lot of problems for a lot of his opponents this season, and to the structural balance of the State Farm Center when he caused a seismic shift twice within a matter of seconds after his stunning state final victory.

Walker sent the big crowd into orbit when he roared back from a 4-0 third period deficit to bag a pair of late take-downs en route to a thrilling 7-5 triumph over No. 1 defending state champion Kai Calcutt (Loyola Academy).

The Joliet Central star shook the building one more time when he raced to his corner after the final whistle to an awaiting coach Patrick McGovern and proceeded to body slam his head coach, much to the delight of the big crowd which roared its approval in favor of the newest 215-pound state champ.

“In the third period, (Walker) has just been an absolute machine,” McGovern said. “Charles was down in the West Allis (Wisconsin) final before getting a take-down and a fall in third to beat a top ranked guy from Wisconsin in his semifinal before going on to win the tournament.

“(Same) thing in the final at Granite City, taking down 2A state runner-up Jaxson Mathenia twice within one minute to win 7-6.”

Walker (50-2, 23 pins) showed his mettle during the postseason to help state his intent, with four straight come-from-behind victories, including an incredible quarterfinal fight-back when he was forced to chase Caleb Baczek’s (Libertyville) 10-1 advantage.

“He got six quick points, and a fall before the start of the third period (vs. Baczek) to stay alive before more heroics against Calcutt (37-1) later on in the final,” said McGovern.

“We saw some things in my first match with Kai that I had a couple of chances to score, but didn’t go for them,” admitted Walker, who lost in the blood round a year ago to 2023 state champion Ben Alvarez from Yorkville.

“I didn’t give up in my final with Calcutt, but my focus was to stay far away from him, because his great footwork allows him to score like crazy.

“I felt great heading into the third period, and after I got the first take-down, I knew another one was coming if I kept my pace up and continued to attack.”

Walker’s state title is the first for the Steelmen since 1998 (Joe Herron) and 30th in program history.

“Charles’ state title is a triumph for anyone who has ever worn the Steelmen uniform,” McGovern said. “It’s huge for our community, and it has brought the community together for a celebration, and we owe it all to Charles Walker.”

Walker, who will major in either Engineering or Physics, has his eye on Michigan and  Missouri, among others.

Lincoln-Way West senior Nate Elstner (45-6) finished third ahead of Roman Janek (37-6) from Edwardsville, while Evan Jocic (Taft, 37-5) was fifth after his 11-6 win over Asher Sheldon (32-8) of Batavia, who will wrestle in the fall at UW-LaCrosse.

Jocic’s was the second state medal earned for Taft.

285- Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East)

In the always unpredictable world of the heavyweight division, Jonathan Rulo was anything but.

The Belleville East junior was the No. 1 man from the very beginning of the season, and he took care of four rivals who were looking to unseat the top man in the state over three days in Champaign.

Rulo’s final test came against No. 2 William Cole (50-4) from Round Lake, who beat his league rival Abisai Hernandez (Mundelein) for the second consecutive week to advance to the final against Rulo.

Once there, Rulo was off to a flying start. He recorded a takedown and then near fall in the first 23 seconds en route to a 7-2 victory, giving the Lancers their first state title in program history.

“I just love to compete, and both football and wrestling offer the challenges that come with both sports,” said Rulo following his 35th win on the season.

Rulo, who was runner-up in his rookie season with a 36-1 record, followed that with a third place finish a year ago at 34-2.

“The thing that sets Jonathan apart is his mental approach,” Belleville East coach Rashad Riley said. “He’s worked very hard to prepare himself for this season. Finding guys to test him this season has been difficult, even with our trips north to the Chicago area.”

The Belleville coach was a three-time state qualifier (2002-2004) for Conant High School, capping a marvelous career with a third place finish at state at 125 pounds with a 43-5 record.

“(Jonathan) was sitting close to 350 pounds when COVID hit us all,” Riley said. “His fitness was terrible, but it’s amazing how far he has come since then, and how much work he has put in to get where he is right now.”

Rulo appreciates the journey.

“There’s always more work to do, and this sport has helped me grow as a person, and helped make me an even better football player also,” he said. Rulo has his eyes on playing on either side of the line at a D-1 college.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, Rulo won a Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco national title during the offseason.

“Jonathan is an outstanding wrestler, but he has become an even better person,” Riley said.

William Cole enjoyed an extraordinary career at Round Lake, especially during these last two seasons, in which he went 95-7, grabbed a fourth place finish a year ago, and won just the 10th state medal in program history.

“I had a great run at Round Lake, I came up a little short against Jonathan, but he’s a great wrestler, and a really good guy,” Cole said. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.” 

Marmion Academy senior Mateusz Nycz (45-6) claimed third-place honors following his 11-3 victory over two-time state medalist Tyler Fortis (39-4) of Maine South.

Nycz will play football in the fall at Dartmouth, while Fortis is headed to Eastern Illinois to play football.

Senior Owen Jakubczak (Fremd, 36-9) was fifth overall, with Abisai Hernandez (41-9) taking home his second straight sixth-place medal and 23rd medal in Mundelein program history.

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

BLOOMINGTON — The four semifinalists at this year’s IHSA 2A Dual Team state tournament had won a combined 27 IHSA team state titles. Montini had won 16 state crowns, Washington had won six, and Mahomet-Seymour had five.

The fourth team just joined the party.

IC Catholic Prep won the program’s first team title in Bloomington on Saturday, topping Montini and Washington to cap a history-making season. It was also the program’s first state finals trophy of any kind.

“We’re hoping it’s the start of a dynasty,” IC Catholic senior and individual state champion Deven Casey said. “I see our program as a place where we just want to win, and we want people to think of us as a place where winners want to be.”

Program superiority comes and goes in Illinois. Programs can have a long downstate run and then just as quickly, that dominance fades. With only two seniors departing from this year’s team, IC Catholic seemingly has the pieces in place to embark on a recurring run to the team state finals.

But whatever the future holds, in the moments just after IC Catholic’s 46-17 win over Washington, Knights coach Danny Alcocer stood firmly in the present moment.

“I’m just really proud of these guys right now,” Alcocer said. “They came together and they wrestled a great tournament.

“It’s definitely satisfying. It’s what we’ve worked for. It’s what the goal was at the beginning of the year, was to get down here and win the team state trophy. Our guys put in the work and they got it, so I’m happy for them.”

After winning its state quarterfinal dual 47-22 over Geneseo, IC Catholic had a familiar foe standing in its way in Saturday’s semifinal round — Montini Catholic (26-4). Montini coach Mike Bukovsky’s boys won 37-26 over IC Catholic in a dual on Dec. 31, and Montini also beat IC in a sectional dual to end the Knights’ season last year.

Saturday’s semifinal did not disappoint.

The two teams split 7-7 in matches won, and Montini led 27-26 with one match left to wrestle: IC’s Jacob Alvarez and Montini’s Isaac Mayora at 138 pounds. A scoreless first period gave way to a 1-0 Alvarez lead on an escape to start the second period. Alvarez put another three points on the board in the third and rode Mayora out for the 4-0 win that put his team in the state title dual.

That’s one big, pressure-packed moment for a freshman to handle, in what to that point was his team’s biggest dual of the season.

“I didn’t really think much about it. I went in just thinking it was another match,” Alvarez said. “There’s a lot of pressure there, but you just can’t think about it. Besides, pressure is a privilege. It’s all a part of the process and it’s a rule in our program to never panic.

“It was really a big goal, to beat Montini. They’ve beaten us every time we’ve wrestled them so that was just a big one for us.”

Veteran coach Bukovsky has seen it all downstate and knows what’s needed to win an evenly-fought downstate dual.

“We needed to find a way to get a couple bonus points and we thought we had some in a couple matches, but didn’t close them out,” he said. “And that’s what it’s all about down here.”

That set the stage for the state championship dual between IC (11-6) and Washington (21-4).
The Panthers started fast from the gate, getting tech fall wins from individual state champions Peyton Cox (150) and Wyatt Medlin (165), and a major decision win from Cruise Brolley (157), to grab a 14-0 lead.

Individual state champ Brody Kelly (175) stopped the bleeding for IC Catholic with a tech fall win, and teammate Isaac Barrientos (190) won a major decision to cut Washington’s lead to 14-10. Washington state champ Josh Hoffer (215) won a 7-2 decision over state third-place medalist Foley Calcagno to give Washington a 17-10 lead with eight matches left to wrestle.

Then came a run of momentum by IC Catholic that felt like an avalanche inside Grossinger Motors Arena: the Knights swept the final eight matches to run away with the state title. 

IC heavyweight and state fourth-placer Anthony Sebastian got a takedown in overtime to win a 4-1 decision over Sean Thornton, and at 106 state fourth-placer Dom Pasquale followed with a 7-3 decision over sixth-placer Symon Woods. 

Third-place medalist Sam Murante (113) won by fall to give IC its first lead at 22-17, and sixth-place Kannon Judycki (120) won a major decision to give the Knights their fourth straight win and a 26-17 lead with four matches left to wrestle. IC also had two state champions and a state runner-up yet to wrestle.

IC’s momentum run put Washington coach Nick Miller in the unenviable position to start bumping his lineup around.

“There were three matches we knew we had to have to stay competitive in it, and we made some changes to catch up once we fell behind,” Miller said. “We know they’re tough in their lower weights and that would be a battle for us.”

One of the marquee matches of the entire weekend took place next, when IC state champion Max Cumbee (126) and Washington’s 120-pound state champion Noah Woods squared off.

A 1-1 match after three periods gave way to a scoreless first overtime period, Cumbee escaped for a 2-1 lead in the second OT, and then rode Woods out for the win in the third overtime.

“He’s a tough kid and I knew it was going to be close,” Cumbee said. “I just had a better gas tank and I was able to ride him out. I put in a lot more hours than I did last year. More hours, more practices, and not a single day off. So it was a lot of work.”

Miller had different plans for the state champion Woods before the IC win-streak forced his hand.

“Our plan was to wrestle Woods at 120 against Judycki and wrestle (Logan) Makiney up against Cumbee,” Miller said. “But at that point we knew we had to take a chance and make up something. It’s tough when you’re playing behind and you have to adjust, but the boys fought hard and I’m proud of them. We knew it was a tough one and we had to be perfect and we just weren’t tonight.”

At that point, IC’s win was in the cards. Individual state champ Casey (132) and state runner-up Aidan Arnett (144) won by fall, and Alvarez won by tech fall at 138.

“We started kind of slow and that’s what we anticipated because they’re a really good team,” Alcocer said of Washington. “But then we got rolling. So we knew what we were in for but once the ball got rolling there, the momentum was real. Our lower weight guys really did a great job led by our senior captain (Casey). The lower weight guys really got it done for us. I’m proud of those guys.”

Casey and senior Nate Brown (165) will depart the program, and Alcocer is grateful for what they’ve done for IC Catholic wrestling.

“I can’t say enough about Deven Casey,” Alcocer said. “He’s a phenomenal leader and a phenomenal person. And Nate Brown is a football player who came in at about 175 or 180 pounds and we asked him to cut down and he did. That helped make all the difference and now he can go home as a state champion.”

Washington reached the state championship dual for an astounding ninth time in the last 11 years. Six team titles and three runner-up finishes spanned that time, and graduating senior state champion Cox fully expects the program to continue vying for the team title.

“I won’t be back next year, but we will,” Cox said. “I’ll be up in the stands with the parents next year to cheer everybody on.

“The standard is always to win and we have a tough schedule for a reason. And I can tell you that there is not a single person on our roster who is satisfied with (second place). So we’ll be back next year. I love each and every one of those guys. Some of them can make me real mad at times, and I know I can make some of them real mad too, but there’s nobody I’d rather win with or lose with than these guys.”

When the dual ended, wrestlers, coaches, and the IC Catholic faithful naturally went wild, celebrating the program’s first team state title.

Alcocer applauded his stable of talented, committed wrestlers, and wants it clear that he’s not the only cook in the IC kitchen.

“It’s really a ‘we’ mentality at IC Catholic,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without our assistant coaches. It’s a phenomenal coaching staff. Assistant coach Tony Norton, Haley Augello is a former Olympian, Cory Stanley, Dave Baysinger, Randy Spaulding, Martin North — they all put in the time, energy and effort. 

“I’m proud of all of them and thankful to our administrators for allowing us to travel. We go to Ohio, we go to California, we wrestle a national schedule, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of our administration.”

THIRD-PLACE: MONTINI VS. MAHOMET-SEYMOUR

The third-place dual featured a pair of teams with coaches who have recently celebrated their 500th coaching wins; Mahomet-Seymour’s Rob Ledin won No. 500 last year, and Montini’s Mike Bukovsky won his 500th this season.

Montini won 50-24 over Mahomet-Seymour in the battle for third place, earning a 10-4 in matches won. It marked the third time Montini has placed third in Illinois, to go with its three second-place finishes and 16 state titles.

“A lot of our guys did a super job all year,” Bukovsky said. “We got hit by a few blows right around Christmas time and lost some kids, so we kind of lost some bodies at the wrong time while other teams gained a few bodies. But that is what it is.”

Bukovsky coached Montini to eight state titles before stepping down after the 2010 season. He returned as head coach mid-way through the 2022-23 season after a few down years for the program and has reignited the flame. The Broncos placed second in Illinois in his full-time return to coaching the program last year.

“I’m just glad we’re back where we need to be,” Bukovsky said. “Our guys are buying in again and there’s a lot of pride in the program and that’s where it needed to be. So I’m really happy about that.”

Mahomet-Seymour returned to the state’s Elite Eight for the fifth time in six seasons under Ledin, and placed third in 2022. One of the storied programs in Illinois, Mahomet-Seymour won five state titles in seven years for coach Marty Williams through the 1980s.

Prior to that, coach Bob Handlin led the program to two third-place finishes in 1980 and 1981. Current IWCOA president Rob Porter coached at his alma mater for 12 years, ending in 2001, leading the program to four third-place finishes (1991, ’94, ’97 and ’01). Tom Porter coached Mahomet-Seymour to a fourth-place finish in 2002.

This season had its share of adversity for the Bulldogs, but they persevered all the way to the IHSA Final Four.

“We are very ‘Bulldog Proud’ of our wrestlers this season,” said Ledin, in his 19th season as head coach at Mahomet-Seymour. “We put our best lineup on the mat at regionals and never looked back. Illness, injury, and a variety of other factors kept us from performing as a team at tournaments and duals but that didn’t stop our resolve to keep improving and knowing that we were capable of great things this season.

“We are young team and we look forward to continued improvement for our young wrestlers over the next few years. We’re also very thankful for a supportive wrestling community here in Mahomet.”

Joining the 500 Club in wins last year, Ledin is just grateful for the success that has come his way.

“I have been very fortunate to have many great memories and milestones over my career,” Ledin said. “I feel very fortunate to be part of Mahomet-Seymour’s tradition.”

Mahomet-Seymour (15-9) won 45-32 over Crystal Lake Central (22-6) in Friday’s quarterfinal round, while Montini (27-4) won 56-13 over Glenwood (19-7). 

Mahomet-Seymour topped Lincoln 45-19 at the Lincoln Sectional and Montini won 55-21 over Oak Forest at the Brother Rice Sectional. Glenwood won 49-22 in a sectional dual over Marion to advance downstate, while Crystal Lake Central won 43-19 over Wheeling.

The other two teams at this year’s Elite Eight were Geneseo and Brother Rice. Geneseo (16-3) advanced downstate in a 45-25 win over Sycamore at the Geneseo Sectional, and sectional host Brother Rice (16-7) won 60-12 over Riverside Brookfield.

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 2A Brother Rice Dual Team Sectional roundup

Montini looks for top honors after falling short last year

With a record 16 titles to its credit, there’s not been many times when Montini Catholic has finished second in the IHSA Finals, but it happened last year when Washington pulled off a 30-28 win over the Broncos in the Class 2A Finals to give them their third second-place finish.

The Broncos, coached by 2020 IWCOA Lifetime Service Award Recipient Mike Bukovsky, aren’t likely to forget that close call as they make a record 25th trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals after advancing from the Class 2A Brother Rice Sectional with a 55-21 victory over Oak Forest. 

Montini Catholic (25-3)  jumped out to a 21-3 advantage after the first five matches and coach Shawn Forst’s Bengals could get no closer than 12 points back after that as the Broncos earned their spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals against Glenwood at Grossinger Motors Arena.

“We are excited as this is the 25th time a Montini Wrestling Team has earned a trip to the Dual Team State Finals”, said Bukovsky, who has 512 dual meet victories in his career.

Montini Catholic 55, Oak Forest 21

150 Will Konder (Montini Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

157 Austin Perez (Oak Forest) over Kevin May (Montini Catholic), Dec 11-5

165 Santino Tenuta (Montini Catholic) over Blake Bussie (Oak Forest), TF 24-3

175 AJ Tack (Montini Catholic) over Jason Janke (Oak Forest), Maj 11-3

190 Jaxon Lane (Montini Catholic) over Nathan Izguerra (Oak Forest), Fall 0:45

215 Andrius Vasilevskas (Oak Forest) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

285 Gavin Ericson-Staton (Montini Catholic) over Jose Montesino, (Oak Forest) Maj 10-0

106 Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

113 Allen Woo (Montini Catholic) over Jason Schickel (Oak Forest), Fall 2:18

120 Jacob Sebek (Oak Forest) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Mikey Malizzio (Montini Catholic) over James Mair (Oak Forest), Fall 3:08

132 Bobby Ruscitti (Montini Catholic) over Hunter Kroll (Oak Forest), Fall 1:20

138 Dylan McBride (Oak Forest) over Myles Monis (Montini Catholic), Fall 5:20

144 Kam Luif (Montini Catholic) over Josh Schickel (Oak Forest), Fall 0:41

Brother Rice seeks another trophy after beating Riverside-Brookfield

Brother Rice made history last year after it won its first trophy at the IHSA Dual Team Finals when it finished in fourth place in Class 2A in its second appearance in the competition. 

Coach Jan Murzyn’s Crusaders would like to add to their trophy collection after qualifying for dual team state for the third year in a row after it defeated Riverside-Brookfield 60-12 at the Class 2A sectional that it hosted in Chicago.

The Crusaders (16-6) jumped out to a 15-0 lead after three matches and extended it to 33-6 midway through the meet to help them earn a spot in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against defending Class 2A champion Washington at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Brother Rice 60, Riverside-Brookfield 12

150 Kyle Fehsel (Brother Rice) over Simeon Hector (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 3:46

157 Jack O’Connor (Brother Rice) over Ethan Rivas (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 9-5

165 Frank Miceli (Brother Rice) over Max Strong (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 4:43

175 Nicholas O`Connor (Riverside-Brookfield) over John McGinnis (Brother Rice), Fall 3:06

190 Jimmy Crane (Brother Rice) over Matthew Elzy (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:28

215 Colin Goggin (Brother Rice) over Anthony Esposito (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 1:10

285 Charlie Stec (Brother Rice) over Joey Alberts (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:47

106 Steven Guzman (Riverside-Brookfield) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Dan Tait (Brother Rice) over Miles Russell-Barnes (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 15-0

120 Duane Connolly (Brother Rice) over Saul Muniz (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 16-1

126 Logan Conners (Brother Rice) over Jayden Tulian (Riverside-Brookfield), Fall 2:32

132 Jimmy Lotito (Brother Rice) over Jacob Godoy (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 5-4

138 Oliver Vavis (Brother Rice) over Tony Lombardo (Riverside-Brookfield), TF 20-4

144 Johnathon Harris (Brother Rice) over Ricky Gutierrez-Blanco (Riverside-Brookfield), Dec 7-1

Class 2A Geneseo Dual Team Sectional roundup

Geneseo hopes to send Murray off on a high note

Geneseo presented longtime coach and 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray a nice going away present as the Maple Leafs’ retiring head coach gets one more chance to lead his team in the IHSA Dual Team Finals after beating Sycamore 45-25 in the 2A sectional it hosted. 

Murray led the Maple Leafs to three-straight state appearances from 2013 to 2015 and took second place to Montini Catholic in both 2013 and 2014 and then the squad claimed another trophy in its last appearance in 2023, when they finished in fourth place.

The Maple Leafs (16-2) claimed wins in six of the first seven matches to build up a 36-6 lead midway through the meet and that helped them to earn a spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals at the Class 2A Dual Team Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena where they meet IC Catholic Prep.

Geneseo 45, Sycamore 25

132 Tim Sebastian (Geneseo) over Tyler Lockhart (Sycamore), Dec 9-2

138 Devan Hornback (Geneseo) over Thomas Lind (Sycamore), TF 18-2

144 Jayden Dohogne (Sycamore) over Lincoln Barnett (Geneseo), Fall 0:22

150 Malaki Jackson (Geneseo) over Logan Sandfox (Sycamore), TF 17-2

157 Izaac Gaines (Geneseo) over Cole Kleiser (Sycamore), Fall 1:57

165 Grady Hull (Geneseo) over Douglas Gemberling (Sycamore), Fall 2:23

175 Zachary Montez (Geneseo) over Aiden Gemberling (Sycamore), Fall 0:56

190 Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo) over Hunter Hoerchler (Sycamore), TF 19-4

215 Cooper Bode (Sycamore) over Colten Mooney (Geneseo), Dec 3-2

285 Owen King (Geneseo) over Collin Hughes (Sycamore), Fall 4:43

106 Carson West (Sycamore) over Brycen Fahnestock (Geneseo), TF 18-2

113 Charlie Olson (Sycamore) over Elliott Kreiner (Geneseo), TF 17-1

120 Sawyer Davis (Sycamore) over Phoenix Heller (Geneseo), Fall 2:34

126 Landen Vincent (Geneseo) over Michael Olson (Sycamore), Dec 8-6

Washington seeks another title after beating Yorkville Christian

After Washington won a dramatic 30-28 championship over Montini Catholic in last year’s IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals to repeat as state champions, coach Nick Miller’s team would like to build toward another four-peat like they had from 2016 to 2019 under Bryan Medlin and Miller.

Yorkville Christian were hoping to get back to dual team state for the first time since 2023, when it fell 32-31 to Coal City for the Class 1A championship after defeating Tremont for the title in 2022 under coach Mike Vester, but the Mustangs will have to wait until next year after Washington rolled to a 52-15 victory over them at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional.

The Panthers (20-3) won the first three matches to go up 11-0 but only led 20-12 midway through, but that’s when they won four in a row and six of the final seven to guarantee their spot in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against Brother Rice at Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena. 

Washington 52, Yorkville Christian 15

132 Cayden Park (Washington) over Ryan Alaimo (Yorkville Christian), Dec 16-13

138 Michael Mendoza (Washington) over Adrian Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian), Dec 17-12

144 Peyton Cox (Washington) over Owen Curran (Yorkville Christian), TF 15-0

150 Austin Wadas-Luis (Yorkville Christian) over Sebastian Howe (Washington), Fall 3:47

157 Wyatt Medlin (Washington) over Dominic Loomis (Yorkville Christian), Fall 0:26

165 Cruise Brolley (Washington) over Robby Nelson (Yorkville Christian), Dec 8-3

175 John Gray (Yorkville Christian) over Braden Brown (Washington), Fall 5:08

190 Wyatt Leman (Washington) over Jackson Allen (Yorkville Christian), Maj 12-4

215 Josh Hoffer (Washington) over Hayden Wheeler (Yorkville Christian), Fall 0:32

285 Sean Thornton (Washington) over Xander Oliver (Yorkville Christian), Fall 3:04

106 Symon Woods (Washington) over Ryan Festerling, Jr. (Yorkville Christian), TF 17-2

113 Christian Sandoval (Yorkville Christian) over Micah Jackson (Washington), Dec 11-8

120 Logan Makiney (Washington) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf 6.0 0

126 Noah Woods (Washington) over Nico Harris (Yorkville Christian), TF 17-2

Class 2A Lincoln Dual Team Sectional roundup

Mahomet-Seymour beats Lincoln to make another state trip

Mahomet-Seymour hopes that 2025 turns out to be just as memorable as 2022 was for the program since that’s the last time that it claimed a trophy at the IHSA Dual Team Finals when it took third place in Class 2A after falling in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Deerfield.

It’s been a good run lately for the Bulldogs, who qualified for their fifth-straight IHSA Dual Team  Finals appearance when they claimed a 45-19 victory over the hosts in the 2A Lincoln Sectional. The program ranks third in trips to dual team state with 22, with two others in the 2025 field, Montini Catholic (25) and Vandalia (24) the only schools who’ve made more appearances.

The Bulldogs (14-7), who are coached by 2023 IWCOA Lifetime Service Award Recipient Rob Ledin, dropped the first match to the Railsplitters but then won seven in a row to build up a 32-3 advantage. They meet Crystal Lake Central in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals in Bloomington.

“This marks the 22nd time appearing in the Final 8 since the inception of the IHSA Dual Team State Series in the 1983-84 season.” said Ledin, who now has 520 dual meet victories. “This marks the fifth in a row for our Bulldogs: 2019-20, Final 8; COVID; 2021-22, 3rd; 2022-23, Final 8; 2023-24, Final 8; 2024-25, Final 8 – place TBD!” 

Mahomet-Seymour 45, Lincoln 19

157 Ryne Metelko (Lincoln) over Nino Caballero (Mahomet-Seymour), Dec 13-11

165 Alexander (AJ) Demos (Mahomet-Seymour) over Aiden Frye (Lincoln), Maj 17-5

175 Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) over Dawson McConnell (Lincoln), Dec 4-0

190 Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) over Soren Aukamp (Lincoln), TF 17-2

215 Noah Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) over Caleb Zirklebach (Lincoln), Maj 10-0

285 Phil Daniels (Mahomet-Seymour) over Logan Wachendorf (Lincoln), Maj 9-0

106 Myles Hartzler (Mahomet-Seymour) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) over Owen Thomas (Lincoln), Fall 2:48

120 Ayden Shaw (Lincoln) over Caleb Scott (Mahomet-Seymour), Fall 3:03

126 Cort Pentecost (Lincoln) over Liam Noonan (Mahomet-Seymour), TF 22-6

132 Karter Hild (Lincoln) over Niko Truax (Mahomet-Seymour), TF 22-7

138 Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) over Giovanni Sundeen (Lincoln), Fall 2:33

144 Colton McClure (Mahomet-Seymour) over Lakin Adams (Lincoln), Maj 17-4

150 Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) over Cam Bell (Lincoln), Dec 12-9

Glenwood makes return trip to state after defeating Marion

Glenwood made history last season when it captured its first trophy at the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals and finished on a high note after beating Brother Rice 57-17 for third place. 

This is only the second time that the program has made consecutive trips to the dual team tournament, with the only other time that was done was in 2018 and 2019 when Jeremy Mosier took his last team to state and current coach Jerod Bruner led his first team to the IHSA Finals.

The Titans (19-6) assured themselves of their fifth appearance in the competition after winning 49-22 over Marion in the 2A Lincoln Sectional. Coach Darren Lindsey hoped to lead Marion to state for the first time, but the Titans had other ideas as they won six of the first eight matches to go up 31-6 to assure them of advancing to Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals against Montini Catholic.

Glenwood 49, Marion 22

157 Justin Murphy (Marion) over Jullian Rammelkamp (Glenwood), Dec 15-9

165 Maizon Milestone (Glenwood)) over Tate Miller (Marion), Fall 5:26

175 Brody Commean (Glenwood) over Grayson Sanders (Marion), Maj 17-6

190 Elijah Smith (Glenwood) over Evan Francis (Marion), Maj 8-0

215 Bryan Madinger (Marion) over Mason Streb (Glenwood), TB-1 2-1

285 Cody Moss (Glenwood) over Logan Black (Marion), Fall 1:00

106 Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Cooper Clarke (Glenwood) over Rigdon Meacham (Marion), TF 15-0

120 Riddick Cook (Marion) over Jaxon Ferguson (Glenwood), Maj 18-8

126 Tyler Clarke (Glenwood) over Juelz Elliott (Marion), Fall 2:22

132 Max Wade (Marion) over AJ Williams (Glenwood), Fall 1:06

138 Drew Moffit (Glenwood) over Jaycen McBride (Marion), Fall 2:56

144 John Vallar (Glenwood) over Nate Page (Marion), DQ

150 Caden Frey (Marion) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Class 3A Grant Dual Team Sectional roundup

Hersey rallies past Grant to get back to state

When Hersey qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals in 2023, there had been a gap of 26 years since the Huskies had advanced to state. While Hersey put up a good fight against Marmion Academy in its return to state, it lost 36-31 to the Cadets, who battled with St. Charles East for the title before falling 28-24.

Huskies’ coach Joe Rupslauk hopes that his team’s second state appearance turns out better and they can win the program’s first trophy since Tom Porter led Hersey to consecutive titles in 1971 and 1972 after rallying past host Grant 35-27 at its 3A dual meet sectional in Fox Lake.

Coach Mark Jolcover’s Bulldogs gave the Huskies (12-9) a run for their money, winning four of the first five matches to build an 18-3 lead and were up 27-18 with four matches left but Hersey won all four of them to secure a spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. 3A quarterfinals against Edwardsville.

Hersey 35, Grant 27

175 Connor Moga (Hersey) over Xavier Arroyo (Grant), Dec 7-4

190 Christian Wittkamp (Grant) over Jonathan Slump (Hersey), Fall 1:41

215 Casey Gipson (Grant) over Nick Larsen (Hersey), Fall 3:16

285 Ian Hernandez (Grant) over Harrison Lacaeyse (Hersey), TB-1 6-2

106 Andrew Ocampo (Grant) over TJ Emery (Hersey), Dec 14-8

113 Danny Lehman (Hersey) over Larry Quirk (Grant), TF 18-3

120 Anthony Orozco-Diaz (Hersey) over Breiydyn Hoffman (Grant), TF 21-5

126 Vince Jasinski (Grant) over Riddick Variano (Hersey), Dec 10-3

132 Elijah Garza (Hersey) over Sammy Mendez (Grant), TF 19-3

138 Erik Rodriguez (Grant) over Nolan Variano (Hersey), Fall 3:22

144 Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) over Adrian Khi (Grant), Fall 3:42

150 Rodrigo Arceo (Hersey) over Nathan Flores (Grant), Dec 4-1

157 Frank Tagoe (Hersey) over Grayson Lennon (Grant), TF 19-4

165 Grant Moga (Hersey) over Aaden Arroyo (Grant), Dec 6-4

Hononegah holds off Barrington to advance again

Just as Hersey had to win its final four matches to rally past host Grant, Hononegah won its last four matches against Barrington in order to capture a 41-28 victory in the 3A Grant Sectional and advance to the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row.

Coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians (25-3) grabbed an early 17-6 advantage, but coach Dan Keller’s Broncos battled back to close to within 25-24 with four matches remaining. However, Hononegah was able to close out strong to claim victories  in each of the final four matches.

Last year, Hononegah lost 40-29 to St. Charles East in the quarterfinals. Competing in the Dual Team Finals in consecutive years for the first time since Marty Kaiser had four-straight qualifying teams from 2005 to 2008, the Indians hope to do what both the program accomplished for the third time in 2014, which was winning a trophy, although they’d like to finish higher than fourth. The Indians meet Mount Carmel in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena.

Hononegah 41, Barrington 24

175 Connor Diemel (Hononegah) over Samuel Cushman (Barrington), Fall 1:13

190 Kurt Smith (Hononegah) over Aaron Jafri (Barrington), TF 19-3

215 Clarence Jackson (Barrington) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

285 Ethan Ballard (Hononegah) over Adriel Arana (Barrington), Fall 3:38

106 Matthew Blanke (Barrington) over Kristian DeClercq (Hononegah), Dec 9-3

113 Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) over Isaiah Martinez (Hononegah), Fall 1:12

120 Ryan Dorn (Barrington) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Jackson Olson (Hononegah) over Saul Rameriz (Barrington), Dec 15-10

132 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) over Jimmy Whitaker (Barrington), TF 21-6

138 Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) over Evan Musil (Hononegah), Dec 5-3

144 Thomas Silva (Hononegah) over Maddux Orozco (Barrington), TF 22-6

150 Max Aranki (Hononegah) over Tyler Habeck (Barrington), Dec 10-4

157 Max Haskins (Hononegah) over Daniel Blanke (Barrington), Dec 15-9

165 Brody Sendele (Hononegah) over Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington), TF 20-3

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Class 1A Oregon Dual Team Sectional

Oregon qualifies for state for first time since 2008

There was a 12-year span from 1997 to 2008 when Oregon went to the IHSA Dual Team Finals eight times and earned a trophy on each occasion, winning a Class A title in 1998 and taking second place on three occasions. However, that had been the last time it qualified for state.  

But on Tuesday at their own Blackhawk Center, the Hawks ended the long drought away from dual team state when they captured a 39-30 victory over Newman Central Catholic in the IHSA Class 1A Oregon Sectional to earn a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington where they meet Unity in a 7 p.m. dual meet.

While the score looks fairly close, Oregon won six of the first seven matches to build a 36-3 advantage midway through the meet. While the Comets won five in a row to pull to within 36-24, there were only three matches left and the hosts won the second of those to wrap things up for

coach Justin Lahman’s team and deny Newman Central Catholic, which is coached by Brian Bahrs, of getting back to state for the first time since 2011, when it took first place in 1A.

“We had a packed house with both Oregon and Newman fans filling the stands,” Lahman said. “We started at 113 which helped start the dual with some big pins early. The match that really set the tone was a comeback fall from Preston LaBay at 126. He was pinned by (Zhyler) Hansen at the individual sectional and was trailing going into the third period before he locked up a cradle late. That really got the crowd going along with three more quick falls to put us up 36-3 going into the better part of Newman’s lineup. 

“We had multiple guys save bonus points and then Briggs Sellers at 285 was able to clinch the dual. Our dual in season came down to Briggs needing a win to win the dual and he fell just short. For him to go out and get the win not only for himself but the team was just the perfect ending. We have a great group of wrestlers this year and are looking to get one more win Friday to guarantee themselves a team trophy this year! I can’t thank the staff we have enough for their time and commitment this year and it’s truly paying off!”

Oregon 39, Newman Central Catholic 30

113 Josiah Perez (Oregon) over Javen Reyes (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 3:55

120 Isaiah Perez (Oregon) over Kaylee Benyo (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 1:00

126 Preston LaBay (Oregon) over Zhyler Hansen (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 5:32

132 Landon Blanton (Newman Central Catholic) over Nelson Benesh (Oregon), Dec 4-1

138 Jackson Messenger (Oregon) over Jason Curtin (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 0:44

144 Levi Benton (Oregon) over Seamus McDonnell (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 0:42

150 Jayden Berry (Oregon) over Josiah Lewis (Newman Central Catholic), Fall 1:09

157 Briar Ivey (Newman Central Catholic) over Ethan Mowry (Oregon), Fall 1:47

165 Timothy Plote (Newman Central Catholic) over Leyton Kenney (Oregon), Maj 16-5

175 Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) over Andrew Young (Oregon), TF 19-3

190 Matthew Clemen (Newman Central Catholic) over Seth Rote (Oregon), Dec 10-9

215 Jacob Newberry (Newman Central Catholic) over Landen Elder (Oregon), SV-1 15-12

285 Briggs Sellers (Oregon) over Mathew Murray (Newman Central Catholic), Dec 8-4

106 Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Returning champion Marian Central Catholic rolls past Sandwich

Defending Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic won the first nine matches and jumped out to a 43-0 lead as it qualified for the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the second year in a row with a 66-6 victory over Sandwich at the 1A Oregon Sectional. It meets Murphysboro in Friday’s quarterfinals at 5 p.m.

The Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater, defeated 2023 Class 1A champion Coal City 34-27 in last year’s title meet to claim their first state championship. Marian Central Catholic, which only graduated four individuals from last year’s title team, could meet the Coalers again this weekend, but it would be in Saturday’s 9 a.m. semifinals.

This is the program’s fifth appearance at the dual team finals with the first three occurring between 2018 and 2020 in Class 2A, a three-year run of state trips under coach David Silva during which time they claimed their first state trophy in 2019, when they placed third.

Marian Central Catholic 66, Sandwich 6

113 Camden Spiniolas (Marian Central Catholic) over Lydia Cartwright (Sandwich), Dec 9-3

120 Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) over Leo Harbacek (Sandwich), Fall 0:56

126 Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) over Jakob Gruca (Sandwich), TF 19-1

132 Nick Marchese (Marian Central Catholic) over Colten Stone (Sandwich), TF 17-2

138 Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) over Jaxson Blanchard (Sandwich), Maj 14-5

144 Noah Cerny (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

150 Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) over Joshua Kotalik (Sandwich), TF 20-2

157 Connor Cassels (Marian Central Catholic) over Josh Lehman (Sandwich), Dec 13-7

165 Nic Astacio (Marian Central Catholic) over Alton Spears (Sandwich), Fall 1:16

175 Kai Kern (Sandwich) over Luca Colatori (Marian Central Catholic), Fall 0:35

190 Dan French (Marian Central Catholic) over Kaden Clevenger (Sandwich), Fall 3:37

215 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) over Devon Blanchard (Sandwich), Fall 2:23

285 Kaleb Eckman (Marian Central Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached). Forf

106 Diego Martinez (Marian Central Catholic) over Hunter Whitecotton (Sandwich), TF 22-5

Class 1A Unity Dual Team Sectional

Unity gets back to state with victory over PORTA

Unity returns to the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington for the second year in a row after it defeated PORTA 50-28 in its own sectional meet in Tolono. 

Coach Logan Patton’s Rockets won the first five matches to go up 27-0 and nine of the first 10 to wrap things up. They face Oregon in Friday’s quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. 

The Rockets fell 48-30 to Roxana in last year’s quarterfinals and hope that they can win their program’s fourth trophy and third under Patton, who led teams to third-place finishes in both 2020 and 2022. PORTA, which is coached by Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet victories, was hoping to return to the dual team finals for the first time since 2014.

Unity 50, PORTA 28

132 Hunter Shike (Unity) over Ryan McCoy (PORTA), TF 15-0

138 Taylor Finley (Unity) over Hunter King (PORTA), TF 15-0

144 Kaden Inman (Unity) over Jaxen Feagans (PORTA), TF 19-3

150 Holden Brazelton (Unity) over Camdon Woodvine (PORTA), Fall 0:51

157 Keegan Germano (Unity) over Jamarion Thomas (PORTA), Fall 3:34

165 Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) over Josh Heath (Unity), Maj 13-4

175 Abram Davidson (Unity) over Drayden Mayfield (PORTA), Fall 0:27

190 Ryan Rink (Unity) over Dane Jianonni (PORTA), TF 16-1

215 Hunter Eastin (Unity) over Avery Hansen (PORTA), Fall 1:08

285 Chason Daly (Unity) over Jayden Minor (PORTA), Fall 2:48

106 Coyt Rademaker (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Laikyn Scheland (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

120 Kainin Fillbright (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

126 Max King (PORTA) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Olympia defeats Canton to earn spot at state finals

Olympia will be competing in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2017 for the tenth time in its history after defeating Canton 52-25 at the 1A Unity Sectional in Tolono. 

Coach Josh Collins’ Spartans trailed coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants 10-0 two matches in and were still down 22-18 midway through the meet before winning six of the final seven matches. Olympia faces Coal City in Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals in Bloomington.

“We’ve got a young team that has been determined and dedicated all season,” Collins said. “One of our big goals was to qualify for team state and the kids put the work in to make that happen. 

“We’re up against a consistently dominant team in Coal City. Our wrestlers will have to be prepared to win some matches that we’re not supposed to win on paper to get past them. They’ve put the work in and they’re motivated and excited to have the opportunity.”

Olympia 52, Canton 25

132 Dyllan Steele (Canton) over Kenzer Burrell (Olympia), Fall 4:42

138 Jack Jochums (Canton) over Cooper Phillips (Olympia), Maj 17-7

144 Austin Kisner (Olympia) over Alex Carrier (Canton), Fall 5:11

150 Kaden Collins (Olympia) over Jireh Hedges (Canton), Fall 2:24

157 Kelton Graden (Olympia) over Grady Smith (Canton), Fall 0:47

165 Daniel Kees (Canton) over Kayden Thomas (Olympia), Fall 1:02

175 Gus Lidwell (Canton) over Isaac Warnock (Olympia), Fall 1:16

190 Zach Fry (Olympia) over Garrett Sego (Canton), Maj 15-7

215 Cohen Maness (Olympia) over Jude Hulvey (Canton), Fall 1:01

285 Connor Williams (Canton) over Darian Holloway (Olympia), Dec 8-3

106 Brandon Gaither (Olympia) over Dean Bruketta (Canton), Fall 3:18

113 Tucker Garey (Olympia) over Jaxsun Owens (Canton), Fall 2:41

120 Dylan Eimer (Olympia) over Ayden Stewart (Canton), Fall 1:34

126 Mateo Martinez (Olympia) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

Class 1A Vandalia Dual Team Sectional

Vandalia heads to state as favorite, beats Oakwood/ Salt Fork

Vandalia enters the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals as the slight favorite over defending state champion Marian Central Catholic and 2023 Class 1A title winner Coal City after rolling past Oakwood/ Salt Fork 63-12 in the sectional tournament that it hosted on Tuesday.

The Vandals, coached by 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jason Clay, took fourth place last season in Class 1A and achieved the top ranking after defeating the Coalers and Hurricanes at ABE’s Rumble and then edging Coal City at the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament.

In the dual meet with coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, Oakwood/ Salt Fork won the first three matches to grab an early 12-0 advantage. However, Vandalia won the next 11 matches, which featured seven pins and three wins by technical fall as well as a forfeit victory. 

The program qualified for the dual team finals for the 24th time, which ranks second to Montini Catholic, with 25 trips, and it is looking to win its first title since 1996. The Vandals meet Chicago Hope Academy in Friday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinals at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Vandalia 63, Oakwood/ Salt Fork 12

132 Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia), Dec 5-4

138 Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia), Dec 8-1

144 Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) over Zayne Zinkgraf (Vandalia), Fall 3:27

150 Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 17-1

157 Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) over Keagan Leclaire (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 19-1

165 Parker Ray (Vandalia) over Blake Trimmel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 1:45

175 Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) over Tucker Pesek (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 3:01

190 Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Emmett Grimm (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 4:37

215 Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Brayden Norton (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 3:04

285 Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Kade Fleming (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 0:27

106 Aiden Evans (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

113 Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 1:28

120 Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) over Weston Frazier (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), Fall 2:20

126 Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia) over Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork), TF 15-0

Murphysboro defeats Althoff Catholic to qualify for state

Murphysboro will be making its third appearance in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals and its first trip there since it claimed third place in 2016 after defeating Althoff Catholic 50-20 at the Vandalia Sectional. Althoff Catholic was looking to return to state for the first time since 2018.

Coach Shea Baker’s Red Devils lost the opener but then won the next six matches to claim a 29-6 advantage at the midway mark. After coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders closed the gap to 33-20, Murphysboro won the last three matches to wrap up the victory.

Murphysboro advances to Friday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinals against defending Class 1A champion Marian Central Catholic at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. 

Murphysboro 50, Althoff Catholic 20

132 Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic) over Jeret Edwards (Murphysboro), Fall 0:45

138 Aiston Holt (Murphysboro) over Robbie Schallert (Althoff Catholic), Dec 7-1

144 Lemar Treshansky (Murphysboro) over John Taylor (Althoff Catholic), Fall 0:44

150 Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) over Ryan Hogue (Althoff Catholic), Fall 1:34

157 Sayvair Williams (Murphysboro) over Austin Wilkinson (Althoff Catholic), Dec 5-4

165 Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) over Aidan Delisle (Althoff Catholic), Fall 0:37

175 Logan Tanner (Murphysboro) over Jakobi Tow (Althoff Catholic), TF 19-4

190 Stephen Ache (Althoff Catholic) over Nick Christopher (Murphysboro), Fall 4:57

215 Caybren Hubbard (Murphysboro) over Enrique Morales (Althoff Catholic), Maj 9-1

285 Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) over Julien Tanner (Murphysboro), Dec 4-0

106 Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) over Jerry Moreno (Murphysboro), TF 17-0

113 Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) over Karson Fowler (Althoff Catholic), Fall 1:35

120 Kaiden Richards (Murphysboro) over Liam Bundt (Althoff Catholic), TF 15-0

126 Sergio Garcia (Murphysboro) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Coal City has enjoyed a great deal of success during the past 10 seasons under coach Mark Masters and it hopes to add to that legacy this weekend when it competes in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, which runs Friday and Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

The Coalers earned their eighth trip to the Dual Team Finals since 2015 and look to clinch their eighth trophy during that span after they qualified for the 14th time in school history when they defeated King College Prep 80-0 on Tuesday at the Class 1A Coal City Dual Team Sectional.

Coal City hopes to capture its second state championship in three seasons after falling a bit short last year when it lost 34-27 to Marian Central Catholic in the 1A championship meet. In its last seven trips to dual team state, it has claimed the 2023 1A title as well four second-place finishes and two thirds under Masters, a 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee who on January 31 joined an elite group of coaches who’ve won 500 dual meets during their careers.

The last few weeks have been memorable for the Coalers since they had a Class 1A-best 13 qualifiers for the IHSA Class 1A Individual State Tournament in Champaign and then they established a new school record by having seven of the 13 qualifiers earn all-state honors.

“I think like any other program, it’s always a battle against yourself,” Masters said. “Some of the goals that we have are unwritten. But that’s always on peoples’ minds, how are we going to be better than we were last year. It’s just a collective effort, from club coaches, our middle school coaches, the high school coaches and all of the stuff we do in the offseason together, there’s a lot of people. 

“We set a school record with seven place winners and I’m extremely proud of our guys’ accomplishments. They have such high expectations of themselves and when they don’t reach their goals, they are disappointed. Life is a lot more like the backside of the bracket than the championship side. Hopefully we can recover and have a great dual team state series.”

Also excited about making a trip to the state finals is Chicago Hope Academy, who defeated Northridge Prep 62-10 in the other dual meet in the sectional. Coach Dan Willis’ Eagles will be making their third appearance at dual team state and this will be their first trip there since it qualified for the competition in both 2017 and 2018.

Chicago Hope Academy also has enjoyed a lot of success this season, as it established program-bests for nine individual qualifiers from the Coal City Sectional and it also had three state medalists, which was one more than it had in 2024, 2019 and 2017. In addition, the school had its first state finalist, senior Roy Phelps, who is also its second two-time medal winner.

“These guys have worked hard all season and they knew this was possible and these guys have walked through the open door,” Willis said. “It’s made an interesting dynamic to have crews around. But the guys have done really well of keeping their focus, and at times, I think it has actually helped them to dial in. These guys have overcome a lot. And Hope has become a very special thing to these guys, our team is like a family to them. 

“It’s a school record for us (three state placewinners) and we view it as a door being opened up for the years to come. Over half of our lineup is underclassmen so we have a lot of guys that are chomping at the bit now. These guys have been committed and that says a lot for these City kids. They’ve been committed and they’ve been faithful and it’s been fun to see. I pray to the Lord to give them some reward for the faithfulness and hard work that they go through because they don’t have a lot of the community support that a lot of the 1A schools have.”  

Coal City meets Olympia in Friday’s quarterfinals at 5 p.m. while Chicago Hope Academy faces Vandalia at 7 p.m. The Coalers could meet up with the defending state champion Hurricanes in Saturday’s 9 a.m. semifinals and the state championship dual meet is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Top performers for the Coalers in Champaign were second-place finishers Cooper Morris (41-6 at 126) and Brody Widlowski (28-1 at 138). 

Morris lost by technical fall to Vandalia senior Tyson Waughtel (54-0) in the 126 title match. Waughtel won his third title after taking second last season and he’s the all-time leader in wins in the sport and owns a 206-2 career record. Widlowski finished second for the second year in a row after losing 8-4 to Unity sophomore Taylor Finley in the 138 title match.

Aidan Kenney (40-12 at 144) claimed fourth place while Owen Petersen (45-4 at 113), Landin Benson (43-4 at 175), Cade Poyner (38-9 at 190) and John Keigher (36-3 at 215) all took fifth. Benson won the Class 1A title at 165 in 2024 but lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl. He was one of four defending champions who suffered defeats in that round.

The Coalers’ other state qualifiers were Jason Piatak (34-19 at 106), Culan Lindemuth (34-13 at 120), Luke Munsterman (39-14 at 132), Noah Houston (31-15 at 150), Mason Garner (33-8 at 157) and Brock Finch (32-10 at 165).

All but Garner claimed victories against King College Prep with Morris, Luke Munsterman, Kenney, Houston, Keigher, Petersen and Jake Munsterman recording pins, Piatak was a winner by technical fall, Alec Waliczek won a 4-2 decision and Lindemuth, Widlowski, Finch, Benson and Poyner all received forfeit wins.

The Coalers competed against top-ranked Vandalia on two occasions, in a dual meet at ABE’s Rumble in Springfield and in a tournament, the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament. 

Coal City fell to the Vandals 30-28 in the semifinals at ABE’s Rumble after coach Jason Clay’s team jumped out to a 21-0 start and the Coalers rallied to go up 28-27 with one match left, which Vandalia won in a 4-1 and then it beat Marian Central Catholic 35-27 for top honors.

At the PIT, Vandalia edged the Coalers 279.5-272 for first place but not all of both teams’ state qualifiers were on hand for that competition.

Beside the success that it has enjoyed this season, Chicago Hope Academy has had a film crew documenting its story in recent weeks. The cameras and special equipment which surrounded it in Champaign rivaled the media coverage from central Illinois news stations.

Top performers for the Eagles at the state finals were Roy Phelps (48-6 at 285), who lost a 7-1 decision to De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy in the 285 finals. Other medalists were Josiah Willis (44-11 at 132), who placed fourth, and Arkail Griffin (49-6 at 165), who took fifth.

The team’s other state qualifiers were Indigo Berg (39-14 at 106), Nolan Callahan (39-11 at 113), Dylan Galvez (36-16 at 144), Santori Knight (36-19 at 150), Tony Jones-Blakely (28-17 at 157) and Ismael Martinez (19-9 at 175).

“I love all of my teammates,” said Josiah Willis, whose father is the head coach. “It’s been a lot of fun to see some success this year and I’m proud of each one of them, especially Roy and Arkail and Roy is the highest Chicago Hope Academy state placer. 

“What I love about this team is that we all have each others’ back and that we love each other. And we’re from Chicago, and a lot of people are down on Chicago.”

Their opponent in the dual meet also recently made history. Northridge Prep, which has only been competing during the past few years, got its first state medalist, senior Adam Haddad, and it also won the first regional championship for coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights. 

“I’m pretty happy with what I’m seeing from the program,” Haddad said. “It doesn’t look like much, but we’ve really come a long way in six years. I’m just trying to get all of these guys to work harder and hopefully they suck it up and work as hard as they can for as long as they’re in the program. I want these guys to work as hard as they can and achieve a lot of good things.

“I’m going to remember my coaches most and everything that they’ve done. Just being in the practice room with them every day and coming off of tough losses and coming off big wins.”  

Beside Haddad (41-3 at 165), who won four in a row in the wrestlebacks to claim third place, the team’s other qualifiers were Joe Kopecky (28-8 at 126) and Javi Rodriguez (23-14 at 144).

In the sectional dual meet, the Eagles received falls from Willis, Galvez, Martinez, Ismael Montero, Phelps and Berg while Jones-Blakely got a victory by technical fall, Knight won a 6-4 decision and Mike Garcia, Mastewal Evely and ReSean Fenner received forfeit wins while the Knights received wins by technical fall from Haddad and Kopecky.

“We started this program up about six years ago and COVID really wiped us out,” Rhee said. “So we started rebuilding about four years ago with our senior captain Adam. Actually, coming into this season, we only had two seniors on the team and three more joined us as first-year wrestlers. We’re just trying to build a culture of wrestling in the school.

“I think we had a good run this season and the boys had a good attitude. Building the program is not just coaching and student effort. It’s a family effort, it’s a whole school effort. We’ve received a lot of support from our athletic department and we’re just trying to keep the boys motivated and wrestling in the offseason. We’re a sixth-through-12th-grade school, so we started a middle school program this year, and that’s a first step. We’re hoping to continue to develop over the years and keep the boys engaged and interested.”

IHSA Class 1A Coal City Dual Team Sectional Meet results

Coal City 80, King College Prep 0

126 Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

132 Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Moses Pittman (King College Prep), Fall 1:46

138 Luke Munsterman (Coal City) over Derek Slater (King College Prep), Fall 1:11

144 Brody Widlowski (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

150 Aidan Kenney (Coal City) over Jacob Jackson (King College Prep), Fall 3:51

157 Noah Houston (Coal City) over Keon Anderson (King College Prep), Fall 1:06

165 Brock Finch (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

175 Landin Benson (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

190 Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Unknown (Unattached), Forf

215 John Keigher (Coal City) over Alexander Robinson (King College Prep), Fall 5:05

285 Alec Waliczek (Coal City) over Devin Fields (King College Prep), Dec 4-2

106 Jake Munsterman (Coal City) over Alpha Kamate (King College Prep), Fall 1:49

113 Jason Piatak (Coal City) over Damarcus Washington (King College Prep), TF 18-1

120 Owen Petersen (Coal City) over Mohammed Mohammed-Gazal (King College Prep), Fall 1:29

Chicago Hope Academy 62, Northridge Prep 10

126 Joe Kopecky (Northridge Prep) over Hudson Ringle (Chicago Hope Academy) TF 2-20

132 Mike Garcia (Chicago Hope Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

138 Josiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) over Noah Echavez (Northridge Prep) Fall 1:31

144 Dylan Galvez (Chicago Hope Academy) over Javier Rodriguez (Northridge Prep) Fall 4:46

150 Santori Knight (Chicago Hope Academy) over George McShane (Northridge Prep) Dec 6-4

157 Tony Jones-Blakely (Chicago Hope Academy) over Noah Gomez (Northridge Prep) TF 21-2

165 Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) over Andrew Payne (Chicago Hope Academy) TF 17-2

175 Ismael Martinez (Chicago Hope Academy) over Mason Wagner (Northridge Prep) Fall 1:49

190 Ismael Montero (Chicago Hope Academy) over Nick Belcore (Northridge Prep) Fall 2:00

215 Mastewal Evely (Chicago Hope Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

285 Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) over Thomas Suter (Northridge Prep) Fall 1:22

106 Unknown (Unattached) vs Unknown (Unattached)

113 Indigo Berg (Chicago Hope Academy) over Patrick Manio (Northridge Prep) Fall 1:37

120 RaSean Fenner (Chicago Hope Academy) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Chris Walker For The IWCOA

Marmion 38, Carl Sandburg 36

Marmion has never won a team state title, although the Cadets took second place in 2022.

The Cadets believe this is a year they can do it, so they took the next step toward attaining that goal, overwhelming Carl Sandburg, 38-36, at the 3A Yorkville Team Dual Sectional.

The final score is a misleading one as Marmion led 38-18 with three bouts remaining, which they opted to forfeit since the victory was already a lock. As a result, Ahmad Alomari (175), Chris Davis (190) and Malic Breish (215) were awarded forfeit victories for the Eagles. Almori and Breish had previously lost matches against the Cadets when the teams were in the individual competition at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central sectional.

Oscar Kalman (126) and Ryan Hinger (150) also received forfeit victories for Sandburg.

When the teams were competing at the aforementioned Hinsdale Central individual sectional their wrestlers’ paths crossed on five occasions with Sandburg senior Rocco Hayes defeating Aidan McClure at 113, accounting for the lone victory for the Eagles.  Colton Wyller beat Oscar Kalman at 120 by decision, Zach Stewart pinned Hinger at 144, Vinnie Testa earned a tech fall against Alomari at 175 and Joe Favia earned an 8-1 decision over Breish in the semifinals.

Marmion sent 11 wrestlers to state out of Hinsdale while Sandburg sent four.

Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia (126) proceeded to lead the trek down to Champaign, winning a state title last weekend, while Zach Stewart (144) took second, Preston Morrison (106), Demetrios Carrera (132), Ashton Hobson (150) and Mateusz Nycz (285) took third and Aidan McClure (113) took fifth as the Cadets had a state-best seven wrestlers place in this year’s IHSA state individual finals.

Hayes (113) and Hinger (144) both placed third to lead the Eagles at state.

Nycz (285), Wyller (106), Garcia (132) and Stewart (144) all had pins against Sandburg to lead the Cadets toward the sectional dual win.

Taking advantage of the rare opportunity to get the Cadets rolling since the dual began at 285, Nycz pinned Omar Alhmoud in 39 seconds.

“I was really excited, you know it’s not often that the heavyweight starts a dual,” Nycz said. “And with my high pace and being third in the state or second in the state, whatever, just being out there and setting the tone for the team was really satisfying.”

Preston Morrison (113) and Ashton Hobson (157) won by tech fall for the Cadets. 

“The dual went really good and the team did amazing today and everyone was on top of it,” Morrison said. “I’m really excited for this weekend for team state because we have a chance to win our first team state title if we all wrestle at our best so I’m looking forward to it.”

Carrera (138) earned an 18-5 major over Madden Parker.

“We were ready today and we showed it on the mat,” Carrera said. “I’m grateful to be a part of this team with a bunch of talented kids. We all feel we are ready. We have worked very hard and we are confident that we can bring home a team state championship this weekend.”

Marmion will wrestle Schaumburg at 7 p.m. on Friday in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Mount Carmel, 35, Marist 34

Despite having won two state titles in the past three years, Mount Carmel found itself playing the underdog during Tuesday’s showdownl against top-ranked Marist

The underdogs are also the ones returning to state after they denied the RedHawks 35-34 in a match that was tied 34-34, but an unsportsmanlike conduct point against Marist proved to be the heartbreaking tiebreaker that ended its season and pushed the Caravan onward to Bloomington this weekend.

“We knew what their lineup was, we knew where they could bump to kind of make points in their lineup,” Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis said. “So we figured that we had to have Seth (Mendoza) wrestle Donavon Allen, and he did a good job in that match (at 150). And George Hollendoner at 144, he hasn’t wrestled the last couple weeks, (Jaxon) Jorgensen won that spot for individual state, but both did their job.”

Hollendoner earned an 11-1 major over Jonathan Fields at 144. Jorgensen fell short in his bout at 138, but he limited the damage against George Marinopoulos, who had just taken second in the state at 132. While Jorgensen dropped the 12-6 decision, it only cost the Caravan three points.

“It felt good just doing my job,” Hollendoner said. “Everybody else on the team did theirs too. I’m just glad we got it done and we’re going to state. It was tough, but I’m just happy we’re moving on. We’re going to be state champs.”

Mount Carmel is the defending state champion, after all. The Caravan also won a title in 2022. They are now pursuing the sixth state title in program history. 

Mendoza, who became the 15th four-time individual state champion in the state on Saturday, was ecstatic with how his team stuck with it, transitioning from the emotions of having four guys place at state on Saturday to redirecting their attention to getting the team to state against a team that beat them, 43-26, on Jan. 10.

“Well, first of all, I’m super proud of my team,” Mendoza said. “Since Saturday night after we got done wrestling, we had a team meeting and coach basically told us we can beat Marist, all we have to do is stay super disciplined and that’s what we did. We stayed super disciplined. We kind of just, after individual state, just chilled out, hung out, nothing crazy and got right back to work at practice on Sunday, focused on things we needed to work on and it really paid off today.”

Marist was able to pick up victories in the final four bouts of the match, beginning with Ethan Sonne’s 12-3 major over Kevin Kalchbrenner.

Will Denny, who won the state title at 165 last weekend, and at 157 last season, wrestled at 175, earning a tech fall over Sergio Calleros, Denny most definitely wanted the pin and the RedHawks needed it. He appeared close to doing so at least twice but left the mat frustrated.

Marist was still alive though, and Kevin Tomkins really got them fired up after pinning Kenneth Segerson with eight seconds remaining in their match at 190.

That left it up to Ricky Ericksen, who just won the Class 3A 190-pound title over the weekend, to finish the match at 215. If the Marist senior could pin Leonard Siegal, the RedHawks would be able to overcome a 34-14 deficit and keep their season alive.

Siegal avoided getting pinned. While Ericksen was able to beat him with the tech fall just before time expired, it still wasn’t a big enough win. The Red Hawks needed all six pin points to prevail.

“We all focused on every little detail, and they threw some tricks at us that we didn’t expect, such as that last match with Ricky going up to 215,” Mendoza said. “But mistakes happen, like our 190 match, but you learn from it. I think overall we all did really well.”

Beginning the match at 285, Marist got a strong start with Jack Watson pinning Landin Carter in 2:20, but Mount Carmel would prevail in seven of the next nine matches.

Sebastian Gracia, who took fifth in the state at 106, picked up Marist’s first win with a 7-5 decision over Elio Gil. The RedHawks’ two other winners during that stretch were Michael Esteban and George Marinopoulos, both who just took second in the state’s individual finals.

Wrestling at 126 again, Esteban pinned Francis Burke in 1:19. Marinopoulos, who was bumped up from 132 to 138, followed with a victory, but fewer points with the 12-6 decision over Jorgensen. 

William Grafton-Hodgetts received a forfeit win at 113 for the Caravan and Ravel Moore followed with a late pin over Joseph Bronske at 5:31, which was huge for team points.

Justin Williamson, who returned from Champaign after taking fifth place at 132, pinned Eddie Astorga in 3:33.

“I wish I would’ve placed higher at state, but I lost to George (Marinopoulos) off of 10 seconds which defeated my confidence,” Williamson said. “But I built it right back up. I thought I was going to face George again here, but never did, but I was hoping.”

Williamson humbly attributed his success to preparation and those who have coached him.

“I think the main reason we won was how we train,” he said. “We went out and trained right after state. Coach told us to stay focused, don’t do anything after state, don’t have fun, just come over here and practice and let’s go down to state. I think the biggest part was coach thinking this was possible. I’m surprised how we made it here. We just have a great coach who helps us out in every way possible. He encourages us and everything. I’m really at a loss of words myself. I feel we have a strong mental mindset and coach pushing us through practice and everything.”

Just last month, Williamson broke his foot. 

“He broke his foot in mid-January and he had been wrestling really well this year,” Tsirtsis said. “He was chomping at the bit (to get back). I think two weeks into a broken foot, and he could barely walk on it, and he wanted to practice. So it was us holding him back and then when he got back to the sectional he was a bit rusty, but he had a great state tournament last week in a deep weight class.”

In a pairing of a four-time state champion and a fourth-place finisher, Mendoza moved up from the 138 pounds in which he won state on Saturday to wrestle Allen at 150. Allen also bumped up after taking fourth in the state at 144.

Mount Carmel’s other state champion, Liam Kelly at 157, followed Mendoza with a 17-1 tech fall over Tommy Fidler, which would prove to be the team’s final victory.

“We had a good discussion Saturday night after we got done with the finals on how to be responsible and we had practice the next day and we really got every guy on the team physically, and mentally ready and we were prepared,” Tsirtsis said. “They bought in. It would’ve been really easy for them to be like it’s Saturday night, we have (two) state champions, let’s hang loose. They were dialed in Saturday night and continued Sunday, Monday and they were ready today.”

Mount Carmel will wrestle Hononegah at 5 p.m. on Friday in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Joliet Catholic Academy 43, Yorkville 27

Joliet Catholic Academy was without its head coach Ryan Cumbee, a recent inductee into the Class of 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame.

With Cumbee tied up with a work commitment, assistant coach Luke Pascale and the rest of the staff watched the Hillmen seize control early against Yorkville and never let up with a 43-27 victory.

JCA had beaten Yorkville, 44-27, at the Flavin on Dec. 28.

Leading 43-9 with just three bouts remaining, the Hillmen conceded at 175, 190 and 215 with their berth into the Class 3A state finals already a done deal.

What a night for the Hillmen. 

Sophomore Lukas Foster wrestled for the first time in 81 days and won via pin.

Foster, who broke his wrist at the Donnybrook the first weekend in December, pinned Yorkville sophomore Landon Jenkins in 1:25. It was a huge early win in the dual for the Hillmen, especially after Yorkville’s Ramsey Barton pinned Jon Higueros in 2:21.

“During our first tournament, my second match back, I broke my wrist on Dec. 6,” Foster said. “I broke it earlier in the summer so I’m going to assume that had something to do with that. It’s great to be back. We did great. It seemed some of my teammates stepped up who maybe lost to these kids in the past and won big, majors and bonus points and pins. We were just getting it done out there.”

Junior Jason Hampton, who took third in state at 126 over the weekend, bumped up to 138 and earned a tech fall over Dominic Recchia. 

“The team needed me to bump up to 138 and I ended up tech-ing the kid, and not many people expected a tech,” he said. “But I showed up and showed out. It’s easy to show up and wrestle good when you’ve got teammates winning back-to-back-to-back. It’s an adrenalin thing.”

In a match-up pairing state placers, JCA junior Nolan Vogel doubled up Yorkville’s Van Rosauer, 4-2. Rosauer had just taken fourth at state at 150 while Vogel took fifth.

“Vogel was a huge win,” Pascale said. “We knew it was a swing match and when you’re wrestling a tough team like Yorkville, you gotta win those. He’s become a guy we rely on.”

Sophomore Derrick Pomatto went from 215 to 285 for the Hillmen and gave them an early boost since the dual began at 285. Pomatto earned a 4-0 decision against Xavion Ulloa.

“We were talking about it all week,” Pomatto said. “And it came down and we started at 285 and coach wanted to throw me out there and I’m up for anything for the team. It was a pretty cool atmosphere before the match hearing everyone go crazy. It was really cool and coming out with the win is even better.”

Pomatto said goals are attained with a team-first attitude — big goals, like getting to state out of the toughest sectional in the state. Among the six teams competing at Yorkville, 120 pounds and 215 pounds were the only weight classes without a top sixth state placer competition. If you also include the fourth dual of the sectional, only 120 pounds wasn’t represented with a state placer

“At practice all we preach is team, team team,” Pomatto said. “And last week it was individuals but Coach (Ryan) Cumbee and Coach (Ben) Gerdes are on us about everything. I live for these guys. These guys are my best friends.”

Junior Luke Hamiti, who took third in the state at 165 pounds, won by tech fall over Yorkville junior Caleb Viscogliosi in that same weight class. He was the Hillmen’s ninth and final winner in the dual before they conceded the final three bouts.

‘We had a few setbacks at the beginning of the year like Luke (Foster) being injured and all that,” Hamiti said. “And then this dual we came together and just dominated, becoming a family.  Our tradition is great. It’s awesome, I mean, we have won a state championship and want to get another and build on our tradition. It’s fun.”

Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson joined Barton as the Foxes only other non-forfeit winner after earning a 13-10 decision over Vince Tindal at 157. It was Ferguson’s 52nd win of the season which established a single-season record for wins at Yorkville.

“Going into it we felt it was going to be a really close match, maybe 7-7 and come down to bonus points,” Yorkville coach Jake Oster said. “We thought we were going to have an edge there. They stepped up and won the matches we thought we were going to win and some of those they got pins and it snowballed from there.”

Yorkville seniors Luke Zook (175) and Ryder Janeczko (190) didn’t get a chance to wrestle one final time in a high school match, receiving forfeit victories after JCA had already secured the win.

“(JCA) wrestled really well and we didn’t wrestle as well as we’re capable of and that’s what happens,” Oster said. “It’s hard to end it like that, but it is what it is. But it’s been a good year regardless.”

JCA will wrestle Oak Park and River Forest  at 5 p.m. on Friday in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Edwardsville 35, Lincoln-Way East 30

Edwardsville’s Blake Mink pinned Lincoln-Way East’s Connor Schultz in the second period to win their 150-pound match in the fourth and final Class 3A Yorkville team dual sectional, which was held at Lincoln High School.

The Tigers were trailing 30-29 after Lincoln-Way East’s Kaidreaus Richardson picked up a tech fall against Edwardsville’s Logan Hiller at 144 to put the Griffins ahead by one heading into the final bout to decide the match.

Mink’s victory gave the Tigers the 35-30 win and a spot at state.

Michael McNamara (106), Bryson Nuttall (113), Levi Wilkinson (126), Ryan Richie (138), Simon Schulte (190), Roman Janek (215), and Rile Steinkuehler (285) also won for the Tigers with Nuttall and Janek getting pins.

Noah Ciolkosz (120), Tyson Zvonar (132), Alex Lizak (157), Christian Darnell (165) and Jackson Zaeske (175) joined Richardson in winning for the Griffins.

Edwardsville will wrestle Hersey at 7 p.m. on Friday in a Class 3A state quarterfinal at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

The Tigers are making their first state appearance since 2019.

By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA

By the size and sound of a raucous audience at host Schaumburg on Tuesday night, it was clear there was plenty at stake, and the fan bases for all four teams were ready to let their heroes know who they were cheering for.

For the hometown Saxons, the chance to see their men advance to the program’s first-ever 3A dual-team state finals was enough to pack their side of the gym in anticipation of advancing to the Grossinger Motors Center in Bloomington.

The lead was more of a hot potato between the Saxons (22-4-0) and their opponent, CPL (Chicago Public League) champion Lane Tech. It changed hands twice before Mike Levantis’ club took the lead for good at 24-18 en route to a 42-27 victory.

“(Lane) was a very good team, so we knew we had to be at our best, getting bonus points whenever we could, while not giving away too many on our side of things,” began Levanti, whose club will face Marmion Academy this Friday at 7:00 in its dual-team state quarterfinal.

“On a night when we needed a few of our guys to come through when we needed it most, it would be, in addition to Brady (Phelps, 120, 43-5) and Cal (Kirchner, 46-9), three guys who have we’ve counted on all season did the job for us.”

Levanti would give high praise to AJ Quevedo (126), Brody Hinkle (138) and Justin Cortes-Apolinar for their efforts when called upon to send the Saxons on a 18-0 late run to close out Lane Tech.

“AJ, Brody and Justin were great tonight, it was a real team effort, and for me, not only is this a great way to end my high school career, it’s a great night for (Levanti) who is an unbelievable coach, and someone who really deserves this night and what it means to our program,” said Phelps, second last weekend at state, giving the Saxons star four state medals during a brilliant career.

The visitors fell behind early (9-8) but found a way back with a tech-fall win from Joaqin Gigante (215) and a major decision victory by heavyweight Adrian Meza to give Matt Yans’ club a 12-9 lead.

“(Meza) was more consistent this year, making it to sectionals, and finishing third in the city, he’s at about (210) but has wrestled at 285 for most of the year, but he had a nice win for us tonight,” said Lane head coach Matt Yan.

Austin Phelps (106) and Jose Curiel at 113 would trade victories, leading to the 18-point explosion by the Saxons.

Kirchner would put the finishing touches on this big night with a pin just 20 seconds into his contest at 150.

Nasser Hammouche ended things with a pin at 155 for Lane.

“This has been one of the toughest months for us, we had three starters out for regionals, and still managed to win it one week after the sudden death of a teammate,” begins Yan. “The guys really came together in a full team effort, and everyone scored points.”

“We had a banner season, winning the CPS dual championship, and going 21-7-0 overall. I was pleased with our freshman at 190, Xavier Johnson, Jose Curiel had a tough season, but pulled out a big win tonight at 113, and our two freshmen, Adgate VanderBrug (28-9) and Eyob Abebe (34-13) had great seasons.”

Yan will need to replace his four-time CPL champion, and two-time state qualifier Alex Valentin, who finished his superb career with a 43-9 record, and 144 victories, one behind Max Schneider, who was a two-time state (2010, 2012) champion.

“We had a couple of injuries after regionals that took two more of our starters out for tonight, but hats off to coach (Mike) Levanti and his squad. They wrestled a great dual,” said a gracious Yan.

“Perhaps later tonight, or even tomorrow, this win, and terrific team effort that sent us into the state tournament will sink in,” began Levanti.

“It’s always hard to choose one team over another, but I can honestly say this is the best group that I’ve had, and right now I am extremely proud of all of these guys, and what they have been able to accomplish.”

OAK PARK-RIVER FOREST 36, ST. CHARLES 33.

The decibel level produced by the Schaumburg and Lane Tech fans was impressive throughout their match, however, on the other side of the gymnasium, it was an emotionally charged, intense, constant roar of a contest between Oak Park-River Forest and St. Charles East.

As this hard fought match went deep into the individual weights, the noise level would increase two-fold with each referee decision, missed opportunity, point scored, and especially a pin, or decision.

This would be a take-no-prisoners affair, fueled by a rabid crowd that would voice its displeasure when they felt their men were unjustly ruled against, making for an atmosphere that produced a thrilling two hours of wrestling.

As expected, neither side was ever leading by more than six points, aside from the 10-0 advantage the Saints built after Anthony Gutierrez (165, 46-8) and teammate Abraham Leidig at 175 opened the festivities with victories.

Several lead changes, controversial calls, and non-calls, dominating efforts from state champions: MJ Rundell (106, OPRF, 42-2) and Saints junior Dom Munaretto (52-1)

would bring this dual down to one important match.

After a Munaretto pin at 120 gave the Saints its last lead of the night (27-12), a key 7-5 decision by OPRF’s Zev Koransky (27-10) at 132, followed by a major decision from senior Joe Knackstedt (36-5) at 138 pulled the Huskies back level at 27-27 after it conceded a one point unsportsmanlike conduct call.

That’s when OPRF junior AJ NOyes (12-7) won perhaps the biggest match of his prep career when his hard-fought 4-0 win at 144 pounds over Logan Tatar put the Huskies in front for good.

“I knew what I had to do in my match, but I was really nervous before we started,” Noyes said. “He was a really tough opponent, but I was so happy to get the win to help our team.”

Junior David Ogunsanya sent the Huskies’ faithful into orbit with his pin at 1:49 to ensure a 36-33 victory, and a place in the 3A dual-team quarterfinals this Friday where they will meet Joliet Catholic Academy at 5 p.m.

“Tonight was a full program win, we had guys make sacrifices with their weight and their egos, with everyone placing the program and the dual meet first,” said a proud Huskies head coach Paul Collins.

“All of the coaches and wrestlers came together for one common goal, and we trusted each other every step along the way.”

This will be the 13th state appearance in program history for the Huskies, and the sixth for Collins who in 2019 led his men to a second place state finish.

“It was a great night for OPRF wrestling, we’re a family, and tonight we all came together to get the job done,” added sophomore Luke Albrecht who earned the first points on the night for the Huskies with his 32-second pin at 190.

“We knew this was going to be a very difficult dual tonight,” St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said. “It was a real dog fight with bonus points allowed and conceded changing the course of this thing, but we just didn’t get the results we needed and wanted, while they did.”

St. Charles East was aiming for a third straight state finals appearance. The Saints defeated Mt. Carmel, Yorkville and then Marmion Academy to win their first state title in 2023, then finished third overall a year ago.

Heavyweight Matt Medina gave the Saints a seven point advantage (16-9) after recording a pin at 3:36, but the freshman Rundell erased those six points with a pin of his own at 106.

Jamiel Castleberry (32-7) a state qualifier at 120 last weekend, cut weight in order to compete at 113, and the results were magnificent.

“My teammate came over to support me while I was cutting down to wrestle at (113), so credit them for their support,” said Castleberry after his pin at 3:01 gave the Huskies a 

21-16 lead.

Declan Sons followed with a tech fall to draw the Saints back even at 21-21, and Munaretto’s pin followed.

“This is just a great team win,” began Ogunsanya. “(Things) did not go well for me last weekend in Champaign, I went down there to win a medal but came away empty.

“(But) this night was so important for all of us, and getting downstate with this family of mine feels so good right now, and we’re going to go there looking to bring home a state trophy for our program.”

“I am extremely proud of the wrestlers and coaches for their preparation leading up to this dual, and their focus throughout the evening,” said Collins.

The Saints, who will graduate four from the ten state qualifiers, including two-time state medal winner Anthony Gutierrez, will look to build from a strong lower-weight core next season.

“This loss hurts a little bit right now, we felt we had a good chance to advance if a few of the matches went our way, but credit Paul and his guys, they wrestled hard, and got the wins they needed to,” said Potter.

“We lost an incredible group of talent from last year, but even in what you can describe as a rebuilding season, I felt our guys competed, and showed that we were still relevant, despite all of our losses from last year.”

Schaumburg 42; Chicago Lane 26

165 Daniel Duran (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Gabe Peto (Chicago (Lane)) Dec 10-4
175 Eyob Abebe (Chicago (Lane)) over Sean Christoffel (Schaumburg (H.S.)) Dec 10-8
190 Josh Benson (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Xavier Johnson (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 1:49
215 Joaqin Gigante (Chicago (Lane)) over Matt Carver (Schaumburg (H.S.)) TF 20-2
285 Adrian Meza (Chicago (Lane)) over Chris Arciniega-Sanchez (Schaumburg (H.S.)) Maj 20-9
106 Austin Phelps (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Jeremiah Arroyo-McMullan (Chicago (Lane)) Dec 8-6
113 Jose Curiel (Chicago (Lane)) over Brian Carmona (Schaumburg (H.S.)) Fall 5:04
120 Brady Phelps (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Joaquin Salameda (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 2:19
126 AJ Quevedo (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Marcos Perez (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 2:25
132 Alex Valentin (Chicago (Lane)) over Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg (H.S.)) SV-1 7-4
138 Brody HInkle (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Miguel Quiahua (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 1:43
144 Justin Cortes-Apolinar (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Ian Main-Duplechin (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 1:15
150 Callen Kirchner (Schaumburg (H.S.)) over Cole Calace (Chicago (Lane)) Fall 0:28
157 Nasser Hammouche (Chicago (Lane)) over Helder Macedo (Schaumburg (H.S.)) Fall 1:55

OPRF 36; St. Charles East 33

165 Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles (East)) over Zach Michaud (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) Fall 3:47
175 Abraham Leidig (St. Charles (East)) over Hugh Vanek (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) Maj 9-1
190 Lucas Albrecht (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Rocco Lobrillo (St. Charles (East)) Fall 0:32
215 Eric Harris (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Cooper Murray (St. Charles (East)) Dec 9-2
285 Matt Medina (St. Charles (East)) over Terrence Garner (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) Fall 3:36
106 MJ Rundell (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Kaden Potter (St. Charles (East)) Fall 0:52
113 Jamiel Castleberry (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Nate Butcher (St. Charles (East)) Fall 3:01
120 Declan Sons (St. Charles (East)) over Gabe Rojas (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) TF 15-0
126 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles (East)) over Alex Cohen (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) Fall 1:38
132 Zev Koransky (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Liam Aye (St. Charles (East)) Dec 7-5
138 Joseph Knackstedt (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles (East)) Maj 12-4
144 AJ Noyes (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Logan Tatar (St. Charles (East)) Dec 4-0
150 David Ogunsanya (Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest)) over Isaac Lenard (St. Charles (East)) Fall 1:49
157 Ryan McGovern (St. Charles (East)) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

One program chasing its first dual team state trophy and another chasing its sixth emerged from this year’s 2A Wheeling Dual Team Sectional on Tuesday.

Crystal Lake Central coach Justen Lehr has already guided his program to five top-four state finishes, including back-to-back second-place trophies in 2010 and 2011. Tuesday’s 43-20 win over host Wheeling gave Crystal Lake Central another team sectional title and a date in a state quarterfinal match against Mahomet-Seymour on Friday in Bloomington.

IC Catholic Prep, on the other hand, is a team on a mission to snare its first state trophy. The Knights won 49-27 over Notre Dame Tuesday night, earning a state quarterfinal matchup against Geneseo on Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena.

IC Catholic coach Danny Alcocer and his program will head downstate for the fourth time since 2018. Kevin Silva coached IC Prep to its first state finals berth in 2018; Jason Renteria took the Knights downstate in 2022; and Alcocer’s team advanced to the state finals in 2023.

A win on Friday would send Crystal Lake Central to a state semifinal Saturday against the winner between Brother Rice and Washington, while IC Prep would take on the winner between Glenwood and Montini.

IC Catholic Prep 49, Notre Dame 27

There’s a goal that’s chiseled in stone for every wrestler at the start of every year: to be wrestling your best when it counts the most at season’s end.

With a group of 10 state medalists that includes three state champions from Saturday’s individual state finals in Champaign, IC Catholic Prep has been a bona fide meteor at exactly the right time of year.

Knights junior Brody Kelly won a state title at 175 on Saturday, then watched the large stable of his highly-decorated teammates win a team sectional title three days later.

“We did well individually but it’s about the team now,” Kelly said. “We want to win it. We want to win the whole thing and we don’t want to come up short.”

The Knights came up just short one year ago, losing to eventual state runner-up Montini at the team sectional.

“That was a tough loss to Montini so we’re excited to finally get down as a team this year,” Alcocer said. “Hopefully we can take care of business. I’m real proud of their performance tonight, but we have to replicate it Friday and Saturday.

“I think we’ve got another level to get to. We have a very young lineup with a lot of freshmen and sophomore’s competing and they’re getting better every time they step out on the mat.”

Six forfeits took place between IC Catholic and Notre Dame, with IC Catholic earning a 6-2 edge in matches wrestled.

The teams took turns forfeiting at 126 and 132 to start the night before IC Catholic reeled off three straight wins: state champion Deven Casey (138) won by fall; Joey Pontrelli (144) won by decision; and Aidan Arnett (150) won by tech fall, giving IC a 20-6 lead.

Notre Dame’s Joseph McCarthy (157) stopped the bleeding with a decision win but IC followed with two pins, a tech fall win, and a forfeit win to take an unreachable 43-6 lead with four matches left to wrestle.

Nate Brown (165) and Kelly (175) won by fall and Isaac Barrientos (190) won by tech fall to effectively clinch the dual. Notre Dame’s Sean Cook (285) won by fall before the final three matches were forfeited.

Alcocer believes his boys went into Tuesday’s sectional riding high from the individual state finals. Max Cumbee (132) also won a state title in Champaign, and the Knights got a second from Arnett (144), thirds from Sam Murante (113) and Foley Calcagno (215), fourths from Dominic Pasquale (106) and Anthony Sebastian (285), a fifth from Isaac Barrientos (190), and a sixth from Kannon Judycki (120).

“Momentum is real and it carried over from that individual state tournament,” Alcocer said. “We want all our guys to be state champions and that’s a big motivator. We had twelve guys go down state and we had three champs. So the goal for the other guys is to get on top of that podium and follow our leaders like Brody Kelly and Deven Casey. And Max Cumbee coming into his own this past weekend. So everybody tries to measure up to that standard.”

Notre Dame ended a fine season in 2025. The Dons won a regional title and Ray Long (106) became Notre Dame’s first state champion since Mike Rosengrant won the state title at 130 in 1994.

Crystal Lake Central 43, Wheeling 20

The Tigers have perennially been one of Illinois’ top programs under coach Justen Lehr, and Crystal Lake Central ended a recent drought on Tuesday by earning their first downstate berth since 2017.

“The expectation in the program is to compete at the highest level,” Tigers senior Dom Vitale said.  “In my four years, this is my first time making it down there. But in three of those years, we did win the regional and got to this point. It’s nice to get down there and now we want to convert on it.”

The Tigers finished with a 9-5 edge in matches won against Wheeling and earned bonus points in eight of those nine wins. Crystal Lake Central got pins from Vitale (157) and Cayden Parks (190), and tech falls from Dylan Ramsey (126), Nick Zuehlke (150), Jackson Marlett (113) and Payton Ramsey (120).

Lehr also got major decision wins from Tyler Porter (175) and Tommy McNeill (215) and a straight decision from Brandon Carbone (138).

“They’re obviously a good team and they’re tough,” Lehr said of Wheeling. “I just think we’re a bad matchup for them. Where their big kids are good at 190 and 215, we’ve got hammers.”

Like IC Prep coach Danny Alcocer, Lehr believes his side has more to give.

“Honestly, I didn’t think we wrestled well in some matches and we probably should’ve won by more,” he said. “But it’s such a weird turnaround to have kids wrestling downstate and three days later wrestling again in a sectional.

“I think some of our kids were nervous. Because we’re not out of shape, so if we look out of shape, we know what that is. It’s nerves.”

Dylan Ramsey’s tech at 126 opened the dual, and Wheeling answered with a straight decision win at 132 from Max Katz. It was 8-3 after Carbone’s win at 138 when Wheeling won its lone tech fall of the night, from Austin Berger (144), to tie the dual at 8-8.

Zuehlke’s tech fall and Vitale’s pin made it 19-8. Wheeling’s Nick Montesino by decision at 165 to make it 19-11, but Crystal Lake Central ticked off three wins in a row from Porter, Parks and McNeill to take a 33-11 lead with four matches left to wrestle.

Wheeling’s Pablo Morales won by decision at 285 and teammate Franklin Katz won by fall at 106, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 33-20 before tech falls from Jackson Marlett and Payton Ramsey completed the win for Crystal Lake Central.

“126 was a big momentum booster for us,” Lehr said. “We won that match at sectionals but I thought it could’ve gone the other way because that kid is solid, but Dylan (Ramsey) came out and did his job.

“Momentum is as big in wrestling as it is in any other sport. When you watch your buddies either win or lose, it affects you. So that was a great start for us.”

Wheeling had an excellent season under coach Charlie Curran, who led his program to its first team regional title since 2017 this year. His squad went 12-2 in dual meets in 2025.

Crystal Lake Central 43, Wheeling 20

126 – Dylan Ramsey (CL Central) over Joey Romano (Wheeling) TF 19-4

132 – Max Katz (Wheeling) over Daniel Snow (CL Central) Dec 7-4

138 – Brandon Carbone (CL Central) over Manny Lagunas (Wheeling) Dec 7-1

144 – Austin Berger (Wheeling) over Abraham Palomino (CL Central) TF 16-1

150 – Nicholas Zuehlke (CL Central) over Byron Arreola (Wheeling) TF 17-2

157 – Dominic Vitale (CL Central) over John Scanlon (Wheeling) Fall 1:13

165 – Nicholas Montesinos (Wheeling) over Tommy Tomasello (CL Central) Dec 15-9

175 – Tyler Porter (CL Central) over Jonathan Martinez (Wheeling) Maj 13-3

190 – Cayden Parks (CL Central) over Jonny Dominguez (Wheeling) Fall 1:37

215 – Tommy McNeil (CL Central) over Eddie Juarez (Wheeling) Maj 13-2

285 – Pablo Morales (Wheeling) over Logan Gough (CL Central) Dec 10-3

106 – Franklin Katz (Wheeling) over Colton Legan (CL Central) Fall 0:24

113 – Jackson Marlett (CL Central) over David Perez (Wheeling) TF 22-5

120 – Payton Ramsey (CL Central) over Miguel Lopez (Wheeling) TF 17-2

IC Catholic 49, Notre Dame) 27

126 – John Sheehy (Notre Dame) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

132 – Max Cumbee (IC Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

138 – Deven Casey (IC Catholic) over Brady Krueger (Notre Dame) Fall 2:34

144 – Joey Pontrelli (IC Catholic) over John Carr (Notre Dame) Dec 9-4

150 – Aidan Arnett (IC Catholic) over Jake Luczak (Notre Dame) TF 16-1

157 – Joseph McCarthy (Notre Dame) over Ben Czarnowski (IC Catholic) SV-1 16-13

165 – Nate Brown (IC Catholic) over Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame) Fall 0:53

175 – Brody Kelly (IC Catholic) over Peter Escamilla (Notre Dame) Fall 1:27

190 – Isaac Barrientos (IC Catholic) over Michael Keany (Notre Dame) TF 17-2

215 – John Goggin (IC Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

285 – Sean Cook (Notre Dame) over James Alexander (IC Catholic) Fall 3:49

106 – Drew Murante (IC Catholic) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

113 – Ray Long (Notre Dame) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

120 – Marty Towey (Notre Dame) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Marian Central Catholic, the defending IHSA Class 1A champion, led the way with eight state qualifiers and four champions at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional, which was held at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon on Friday and Saturday.

Richmond-Burton had six qualifiers, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Princeton both qualified five individuals while Johnsburg, Newman Central Catholic, Oregon and Wheaton Academy all advanced three individuals to this weekend’s IHSA Individual State Tournament in Champaign. 

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Richmond-Burton also both also had two title winners.

The Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, were led by title winners junior Austin Hagevold (113), senior Brayden Teunissen (120), senior Vance Williams (150) and sophomore Jimmy Mastny (190). 

“In my opinion, it’s definitely the toughest sectional in the state,” Prater said. “I think in a couple of the brackets, you had four or five guys in the top 10. It’s definitely loaded. And I like the atmosphere that Oregon does with the lights off and they pack them all in here, it’s an awesome place to wrestle. If you get out of here, you’re probably on the podium downstate. 

“It’s just about staying loose, having fun and scoring points. I think we preach extending leads and if we look at that last round, we started off with a tech in the finals and then we had a pin and another pin over here and we had four pins and a tech in placing rounds and finals. It’s just separating yourself and scoring points. 

“We’re riding high right now and a lot of our guys are kind of peaking so we will wrestle very well in these next coming weeks. We’re prepared and it’s kind of an unspoken thing, these guys want to win another state title and that’s what we’re here to do.”

Richmond-Burton got titles from seniors Clayton Madula (126) and Emmett Nelson (144) while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton received firsts from juniors Eli Larson (175) and Jeremiah Luke (215).

The other sectional champions were Morrison freshman Cael Wright (106), Riverdale junior Dean Wainwright (132), Rockridge senior Jude Finch (138), Newman Central Catholic senior Briar Ivey (157), Byron sophomore Brody Stien (165) and St. Francis junior Jaylen Torres (285).

Johnsburg had three second-place finishers, freshman Chase Vogel (113), senior Landon Johnson (138) and sophomore Duke Mays (175). Lena-Winslow/ Stockton had two who placed second, juniors Arrison Bauer (144) and Oliver McPeek (190). And Wheaton Academy also had two second-place finishers, juniors Lincoln Hoger (132) and Tyler Jones (165).

Others who placed second were Newman Central Catholic freshman Landon Near (106), Richmond-Burton freshman Adam Glauser (120), North Boone senior Gavin Ekberg (126), Stillman Valley senior Henry Hildreth (150), Riverdale senior Blake Smith (157), Marquette Academy sophomore Alex Schaefer (215) and Dakota junior Randy McPeek (285)..

Third-place finishers from the Oregon Sectional were Princeton junior Augustus Swanson (120), freshman Kane Dauber (132) and senior Ace Christiansen (144), Richmond-Burton freshman Lelan Nelson (106) and sophomore Blake Livdahl (175), Marian Central Catholic senior Andrew Alvarado (138) and junior Dan French (215), Dakota junior Brandon White (113), Lisle junior Alexander Ferari (126), Kewanee senior Ben Taylor (150), Erie/ Prophetstown senior Wyatt Goossens (157), Newman Central Catholic senior Danel Kelly (165), Orion senior Maddux Anderson (190) and Byron senior Jared Claunch (285).

And claiming fourth-place finishes at the Oregon Sectional were Oregon junior Josiah Perez (113), freshman Isaiah Perez (120) and sophomore Nelson Benesh (132), Marian Central Catholic freshman Camden Spiniolas (106) and sophomore Nick Marchese (126), Sandwich sophomore Cooper Corder (144) and senior Devon Blanchard (215), Princeton junior Casey Etheridge (165) and senior Cade Odell (285), Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Mauricio Glass (138), Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille/ Ohio sophomore Jose Lopez (150), Wheaton Academy senior Chasen Kazmierczak (157), Fulton senior Skylier Crooks (175) and Richmond-Burton sophomore Breckin Campbell (190).

Here’s a look at the IHSA Class 1A Oregon Sectional champions and their weight classes along with state qualifiers:

106 – Cael Wright, Morrison

Cael Wright was in unusual company among the 14 champions at the rugged IHSA Class 1A Oregon Sectional since unlike so many others who won titles and were thrilled about that achievement, the Morrison freshman wasn’t all that excited after capturing the championship of the first finals match at 106, despite winning against an individual who had beaten him 14-0 and who entered ranked second while Wright was ninth, behind three others in the sectional.

Wright (41-2), the lone qualifier of the four individuals who competed in the sectional for coach Tom Drosopoulos’ Mustangs, captured a 10-8 decision in the 106 title match over Newman Central Catholic freshman Landon Near (39-4), who just missed winning by a technical fall as he handed Wright his first defeat when the two met on December 21 in the semifinals of the Erie/Prophetstown Holiday Tournament. After opening with a win by technical fall, Wright won a decision in the quarterfinals and then earned his spot on the title mat when he recorded a fall in 3:18 over Stillman Valley senior Michael Pannarale. The title match was one of three decisions for championships and it tied the 165 title match, which also was a 10-8 outcome.

“It’s just what I’ve been working for,” Wright said. “It’s just another wrestling season. I work as hard as I can to try to get my goals. It’s what I’ve been working for all year, so I expect nothing else.”

Near (39-4) was one of two finalists and three state qualifiers for coach Brian Bahrs’ Comets. He followed a fall in his opener with a 7-0 decision in the semifinals over Richmond-Burton freshman Lelan Nelson (41-4), one of six state qualifiers for his team who bounced back from the semifinal loss to claim third place by prevailing 1-0 over Marian Central Catholic freshman Camden Spiniolas (26-20) in the third-place match. Spiniolas became the most unlikely of the Hurricanes’ eight state qualifiers after he lost 6-3 by sudden victory to Rockridge freshman Nate Lower in the first round before claiming three-straight wins, with the last of those being 12-9 in sudden victory over Pannarale (35-8), who fell a bit short of earning a trip to state in his final match. Lower (37-11) also fell one win shy of a trip to state.

113 – Austin Hagevold, Marian Central Catholic

Austin Hagevold enjoyed a memorable sophomore season in 2023-2024 when he finished in fourth place at 106 in the IHSA Class 1A Finals and then helped Marian Central Catholic to capture the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team championship, the school’s first state title in the sport. Beside trying to help the Hurricanes to capture another dual team title next weekend in Bloomington, Hagevold would like to accomplish what teammates Brayden Teunissen and Jimmy Mastny achieved last season, which was winning their initial IHSA championships.

Hagevold (39-7) definitely heads into this weekend’s Individual Finals on a high note after capturing the 113 title with a win by technical fall in 4:10 over Johnsburg freshman Chase Vogel to be the first of four champions and one of eight state qualifiers for the Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton. The junior, who was ranked second behind Vandalia’s Max Philpot, opened with a pair of first-period falls and needed just 21 seconds to get a pin in the semifinals over Dakota junior Brandon White to earn his spot in the 113 finals.

“I wrestled that kid in the regional finals (Vogel) and I teched him,” Hagevold said. “So coming in here it’s not like I thought the bracket would play out. I thought I’d have somebody else and I was looking forward to that match. It’s sectionals, upsets happen.. No matter what, I had a game plan to win. That’s what we want to do, we want to be back-to-back state champ, that’s what we work for every day. It’s fun, we team-bond, we practice seven days a week together. We do everything together, so we’re just like one big family.”

Vogel (34-7), one of three second-place finishers and state qualifiers for coach James Sylvanus’ Skyhawks, won his first two matches by technical fall before the unranked freshman captured a 14-8 decision in the semifinals over Oregon junior Josiah Perez to earn his spot on the title mat. In the third-place match, sixth-ranked White (33-10) claimed a 23-9 major decision over tenth-ranked Perez (39-7), as White will be making his second-straight trip to state as one of two qualifiers for his team, while Perez is going to state for the second time in three years and will be one of three Hawks who all took fourth to advance. Kewanee senior Tyson Currie (31-10) and St. Bede Academy freshman Michael Benge (30-17) both lost in the consolation semifinals. 

120 – Brayden Teunissen, Marian Central Catholic

Brayden Teunissen qualified for the IHSA Finals for the fourth time and became one of four champions and eight state qualifiers for Marian Central Catholic after wrapping things up in the 120 bracket with a fall in 1:43 over Richmond-Burton freshman Adam Glauser in the title match to cap a three-pin effort as the top-ranked individual at his weight kept alive his quest to get to a state championship match for the third year in a row and also to capture his second-straight title.

Teunissen (31-5) captured the IHSA Class 1A title at 120 last season with a 7-5 win by sudden victory over Carlyle’s Tyson Waughtel to deny him of a third straight-championship after he took second in 3A at 106 in 2023 with a loss to St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto. He hopes to join teammate Jimmy Mastny as a two-time state champ for Marian Central Catholic, a feat that’s only been accomplished by two others at the school, Dylan Connell, who won three titles, and Rich Powers, who captured two. Teunissen, who opened with a first-period pin and moved on to the finals with a fall in 2:52 over Oregon freshman Isaiah Perez, hopes to follow up on a second individual title by helping the Hurricanes to repeat as Class 1A Dual Team champions.

“This is a really tough sectional, so it’s good that we have eight guys going,” Teunissen said. “It was really good because a lot of our young guys did really good, especially 106 pounder in his match to make it to state, he was down 7-0 going into the third and got three or four takedowns. Stuff happens during the season where we lost as a team. But when it comes to team state, no one’s going to beat us, our team’s the best. We’re all really close and we mess with each other in the room. But when it comes time to compete, we’re all there. We hype each other up and we get really hyped before all of the matches and the energy is just crazy.”

Glauser (41-9) was one of two freshmen and two sophomores who were joined by two seniors as state qualifiers for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets, who capped a special performance with the second-highest number of qualifiers with six, ranking behind Marian Central Catholic, who had eight. Glauser, who is ranked fourth, followed an opening pin with two victories by technical fall, with the second one coming in the semifinals in 2:00 over Princeton junior Augustus Swanson (28-8), a three-time state qualifier who took fifth place at 106 last season and was ranked tenth. Swanson, one of five state qualifiers for coach Steve Amy’s Tigers, claimed third place with a 13-5 major decision over Perez (37-9), one of three qualifiers for coach Justin Lahman’s Hawks. `Byron senior Jackson Norris (34-5) and North Boone freshman Gabe Marella (34-16) both fell one win shy of advancing to state.

126 – Clayton Madula, Richmond-Burton

Clayton Madula qualified for the IHSA Class 1A Finals in 2022 but had been unable to make a return to state since then. But in his last opportunity to make a return to Champaign the Richmond-Burton senior not only qualified from the Class 1A Oregon Sectional, he won the title at 126 when he overcame a deficit against North Boone senior Gavin Ekberg by recording a fall in 5:10 to join teammate Emmett Nelson as a title winner and he is one of six members of coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets who will be competing at the State Farm Center this weekend.

Madula (42-10), who was ranked seventh, opened with a first-period fall and then won a 10-7 decision over Oregon’s Preston LaBay in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot on the 126 title mat by capturing an 11-0 major decision in the semifinals over Marian Central Catholic sophomore Nick Marchese, who was ranked ninth. 

“It’s definitely been fun this year,” Madula said. “We have a whole bunch of new freshmen and they’ve been kicking it and the whole team has been doing great. We’ve been going out and winning big tournaments and beating some bigger schools. We’re right there, just behind Marian, but there’s nothing we can do about it. This is super exciting to be able to show all of the hard work that we’ve put in, and it paid off. I actually was feeling real confident going into the state series. I was able to come in here and beat some guys I lost to previously in the year. It’s just a real good confidence booster.”

Ekberg (37-6), who took sixth place at 126 in last year’s IHSA Finals and was ranked fifth, was the lone qualifier out of three individuals who advanced to the Oregon Sectional for coach Jason Mamer-Cox’s Vikings. After winning his opener by fall, he had his hands full in the semifinals, and claimed a 4-3 decision over Lisle junior Alexander Ferari (35-6), who bounced back from that tough defeat to claim third place with a fall in 3:29 over Marchese (25-14). Newman Central Catholic junior Zhyler Hansen (41-9), who was ranked sixth, and Rockridge junior Clayton Blumenstein (33-11) both fell in the consolation semifinals.

132 – Dean Wainwright, Riverdale

Dean Wainwright had a great debut season in 2022-2023 when he beat Illini Bluffs’ Hunter Robbins to win the IHSA Class 1A title at 106 and finished with a 50-1 record and was an all-stater along with seniors Collin Altensey, Brock Smith and Alex Watson for Riverdale while competing in the final season for a popular and longtime coach at the school in Port Byron, the late Myron Keppy. His 2023-2024 season was very impressive, too, as he bounced back from a quarterfinal loss to three-time finalist and eventual runner-up at 120, Tyson Waughtel, and settled for third place with a 47-3 record, with teammate Blake Smith also placing third at 150.

Wainwright continues his run of success in his junior season as he improved to 43-2 and is now 140-6 during his career after taking first at 132 at the Oregon Sectional when he captured a 10-2 major decision over Wheaton Academy junior Lincoln Hoger, who placed fifth in Class 1A at 126 last season. Ranked third at 132 behind Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr,. and Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke, Wainwright and Smith were finalists and state qualifiers once again for coach Aron Kindelsperger’s Rams. After opening with a fall, he earned his spot in the 132 finals with a wild 20-15 decision in the semifinals over Princeton freshman Kane Dauber. 

“I love competing and it’s always fun being in the March,” Wainwright said. “But every match is the same match, whether it’s the state finals or it’s a consolation side first-round, I try to look at it like that. Wrestling is so mental, it’s such a mental sport. It’s very hard on your body and that plays a toll on your mind, too. So it’s always those guys in the postseason and the end of the year that have the strongest mental game that seem to come through. Sometimes I think I get a little caught up in focusing on the result, so a thing that has really helped me is focusing on the work that I put in. The results will come as a byproduct, I just have to focus on what I do during the match. I love competing, and any chance I get. This was a tough tournament here and I hope to continue that momentum and bring it to the state finals.”

Hoger (43-7) joined teammate Tyler Jones as a finalist and also Chasen Kazmierczak as one of three state qualifiers for coach Steve Aiello’s Warriors. Hoger was a winner by technical fall in the quarterfinals and then claimed a 7-5 decision over Oregon sophomore Nelson Benesh to set up the clash between returning state medalists for the 132 title. In the third-place match, Dauber (46-3) won by fall in 4:46 over Benesh (40-8). Dauber was one of five qualifiers for coach Steve Amy’s Tigers while Benesh was one of three state qualifiers for coach Justin Lahman’s Hawks. Newman Central Catholic junior Landon Blanton (39-10), a two-time state qualifier, and Sandwich sophomore Colten Stone (25-19) both lost in the consolation semifinals. 

138 – Jude Finch, Rockridge

Jude Finch is putting the finishing touches on one of the top careers of any competitor at Rockridge as he looks to become just the fourth individual from his school to win three or more state medals and join just one other, Steve Amy, who won more than one title at the school in Taylor Ridge. He fell one victory shy of a medal as a freshman at 126 then took third at that weight in 2023 and won the 1A title at 132 last year to cap a 43-6 season. He’s 38-0 and is top-ranked at 138 heading into the IHSA Class 1A Finals after winning the 138 championship at the Oregon Sectional with a win by medical forfeit over Johnsburg senior Landon Johnson.

Finch was the lone state qualifier for coach Lucas Smith’s Rockets, who had three others, Nate Lower (106), Clayton Blumenstein (126) and Thomas Sowards (144) all fall one win shy of state trips after losing in the consolation semifinals. Finch won by fall in 1:04 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Mauricio Glass in the quarterfinals and earned his spot on the 138 title mat with a victory by technical fall over Marian Central Catholic senior Andrew Alvarado in 2:19.

Johnson (35-5), who’s ranked eighth and is a first-time IHSA qualifier, was one of three qualifiers who all took second place for coach James Sylvanus’ Skyhawks. He was tested right away, needing an 8-5 win in sudden victory in his opener with Kewanee’s Lain Taylor before getting a fall in the quarterfinals and then claiming a 10-2 major decision in the semifinals over Rock Falls senior Logan Williamson. For third place, Alvarado (22-10) won by fall in 4:15 over Glass (41-11). Alvarado, who’s ranked sixth and placed fifth at 113 in 2023, qualified for state for the fourth time while Glass will be making his first trip to Champaign. Williamson (31-18), a senior, lost in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals, where Marquette Academy sophomore Beau Thompson also fell one win shy of a state trip.

144 – Emmett Nelson, Richmond-Burton

Emmett Nelson is hoping that the fourth time’s the charm for him as the Richmond-Burton senior completes an excellent career in which he’s participated in the Grand March twice and claimed three IHSA medals while posting a 176-11 record. After coming up a bit short to Auburn’s unbeaten Joey Ruzic in the 113 finals in 2022 and falling to Dakota’s TJ Silva in the 126 finals in 2023, Nelson got bumped into the consolation bracket a year ago at 144 after losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual runner-up, Unity’s Kaden Inman, then won twice to assure himself of a third medal before taking two medical forfeits to place sixth and finish with a 48-3 record.

Nelson is feeling good about his chances of finally winning a state title and comes into the the IHSA Class 1A Finals with a 41-1 record and a 30-match winning streak since suffering his lone loss to Antioch’s Chase Nobiling by an 8-4 score in the 144 finals of Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb on December 21. Nelson heads into his fourth state appearance ranked second behind Inman. He claimed top honors at 144 at the Oregon Sectional with a win by technical fall in 2:15 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Arrison Bauer. He opened with a fall in 2:22 over West Carroll’s Connor Kemp and then earned his spot in the finals with a 15-3 major decision over Princeton senior Ace Christiansen in the semifinals. He was one of two champions, three finalists and six state qualifiers for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets, with one of those who’ll be joining him in his final appearance in Champaign being his freshman brother Lelan (41-4), who took third at 106.    

“It’s cool, we have six state qualifiers,” Nelson said. “I’ve never been to state with even close to that many teammates, so I’m really looking forward to it. Being a part of this team has just been so much fun. We were winning, which was cool, but we get along so well and everybody on the team is so close. We’re always together all of the time. I’ve really been chasing it down (going for a state title). I wanted it more to give a good example for my little brother to show him what it takes. (Being on the team with his brother) It’s been different for me because it’s usually that he’s just my little brother, but now, he’s my little brother and my teammate. I liked being with my friends and my teammates as much as I could. We were really fortunate since we didn’t have a whole lot of injuries or sickness, everybody’s been pretty healthy, for the most part. It’s just been so cool to see everyone around me have success, as well, instead of just winning by myself.”

Bauer (42-6), who was a state qualifier last year and is ranked ninth, was one of four finalists and five state qualifiers for coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks. He opened with a victory by technical fall before winning a thriller in the semifinals when he got an escape to capture a 3-2 win by ultimate tiebreaker over Sandwich sophomore Cooper Corder, who placed fourth at 138 last season and is ranked third. Christiansen (43-5), who’s ranked fourth and is making his third trip to state, where he placed third at 138 a year ago, claimed third place at 144 when Corder took a medical forfeit. Christiansen was one one of five qualifiers for the Tigers while Corder (34-5) was one of two qualifiers for Sandwich. Two sophomores lost in the consolation semifinals, Morrison’s Caleb Modglin (42-9) and Rockridge’s Thomas Sowards (34-10).

150 – Vance Williams, Marian Central Catholic

Vance Williams has already etched his name among the all-time best at Marian Central Catholic regardless of how he fares in his fourth appearance at the IHSA Class 1A Finals in Champaign. He’s one of five three-time medalists and joined Dylan Connell as only the second individual in the program to compete in two or more state title matches and he also can also point to helping the Hurricanes win their first IHSA Dual Team title last season. But there’s one big achievement that has eluded the senior, and that is winning an IHSA individual state title and although the 150 weight class includes three other four-time qualifiers, two others who’ve won two state medals and a returning state champion, Williams believes he has what it takes to win the title.

Williams improved to 37-5 after winning the 150 title at the Oregon Sectional by recording a fall in 3:06 over Stillman Valley senior Henry Hildreth to become one of four champions and eight qualifiers for the Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton. He won by technical fall in his opener and then recorded a pin in 1:07 in the semifinals over Kewanee senior Ben Taylor. Ranked second behind Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll, who won the 144 title last season, Williams placed second to Rockridge’s Jude Finch at 132 in 2024 and finished with a 48-9 record. He also took second to Dakota’s Phoenix Blakely at 132 as a sophomore in 2023 after finishing fourth at that same weight class in 2022 in his debut season with the Hurricanes. 

“(Eight state qualifiers) It’s impressive, but each of our guys have earned it, those guys that are going down have been working the hardest,” Williams said. “Definitely, the team wants to return and be two-time state champs and then move up to 2A next year. So that’s definitely the goal and that’s what everyone has in mind. At the end of the day, winners win and we’re creating winners every day.”

Hildreth (38-5), the lone state qualifier for coach Jamie McCarty’s Cardinals, advanced to state for the first time after winning his opener by technical fall and then recording a pin in 2:40 in the semifinals over Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille/ Ohio co-op sophomore Jose Lopez. In the third-place match, Taylor (34-4) captured a 10-0 major decision over Lopez (28-15) as both individuals were the lone state qualifiers for their schools. Richmond-Burton senior Dalton Youngs (28-19) and Erie/ Prophetstown sophomore Tristan Hovey lost in the consolation semifinals to fall one win shy of advancing to Champaign.

157 – Briar Ivey, Newman Central Catholic

Briar Ivey qualified for the IHSA Finals as a freshman in 2022 and won his initial match there before losing his next two. He looked like he might get back to state last season but fell one win shy at the Byron Sectional in a 39-6 season. The Newman Central Catholic senior is finally making his return to the State Farm Center in Champaign and he’s doing it with a whole lot of momentum after second-ranked Ivey defeated the top-ranked individual at 157, Riverdale’s Blake Smith, by taking control in the final period to capture a 9-4 decision for the 157 championshi[, handing Smith his first setback in 33 matches. It also avenged a Smith fall in 3:05 in the title match at the Riverdale Regional as well as a 7-0 Smith decision in the finals of Princeton’s Lyle King PIT.

Ivey (44-3) was the lone champion and one of two finalists and three state qualifiers for coach Brian Bahr’s Comets. He had to compete in four matches and only the first one wasn’t close as he captured a 16-2 major decision. He needed to prevail 4-1 in sudden victory over Wheaton Academy’s Chasen Kazmierczak, who’s ranked sixth, before capturing a 2-1 decision in the semifinals over Erie/ Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens, who’s ranked third, in order to get a rematch with Smith. The 157 bracket was most likely the toughest of any in the Class 1A sectionals since it featured the first four and five of the top-six at that weight class, which was unfortunate for Byron’s Will Julian, who was ranked fourth but fell a win shy on two occasions.

“You just have to grit them out,” Ivey said, “Coming in here, every match, everyone’s coming to wrestle me, so I just wrestled six full minutes and wrestled the whole match and wrestle hard. It just goes back to practice and working hard every day and putting myself in these spots in my head and I came out with a win. I’ve been working hard every day and putting the rest up to God and see how it turns out. We’re just a really tight-knit group and we all know how to work hard and we’re going to push each other to work hard every day.”

Smith (32-1), who placed third at 150 last year at state, opened with a win by technical fall in just 58 seconds in the quarterfinals before capturing a 10-4 decision over Julian (39-5) in the semifinals. In the third-place match featuring two seniors, Goossens (41-8) won by fall in 1:32 over Kazmierczak (43-7). Goosens, who also is making his first state trip since 2022, was the lone state qualifier for his team while Kazmierczak, who qualified for state last year, joins two other Warriors in Champaign this weekend. Sophomore Julian saw his state hopes dashed in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals, with the latter being the final match for Oregon senior Ethan Mowry (30-14), who was hoping to make his first trip to the IHSA finals.

165 – Brody Stien, Byron

Brody Stien was one of two champions at the Oregon Sectional that went the full six minutes in all of his matches, with Briar Ivey right before him taking first at 157 as the other. But the Byron sophomore was the only one to prevail by two points in each of his wins. Stein’s clutch performance resulted in a 12-10 decision over Marian Central Catholic’s Nic Astacio (14-5) in the quarterfinals, followed by an 8-6 win over the top-ranked individual at the weight, Newman Central Catholic senior Daniel Kelly, and was capped by a 10-8 win in an unexpected 165 title match between 10th-ranked Stien and an unranked junior, Wheaton Academy’s Tyler Jones.

Stien (42-5) also qualified for state last year as a freshman and lost both of his matches there to conclude a successful 33-16 debut season. And as was the case a year ago, he will be joined in Champaign by teammate Jared Claunch, a senior, who also went 0-2 in Champaign in 2024. They are the lone qualifiers for the Tigers and their matches will be the final time that Mike Elsbury will be in the corner for Byron, since he’s stepping down as the program’s head coach after being in that role since 2007. Needless to say, Stien and Claunch hope to extend their coach’s stay until Saturday so they can give him a nice sendoff with two more state medalists. 

“It’s great,” Stien said of competing for Byron. “Our coaches are great and they’re top in the state, they’re just excellent. It’s a tough tournament. Everybody that comes out of here, there’s lots of good kids, but some kids don’t make it. I started out the season a little messed up and I lost a couple of matches that I shouldn’t have. But then I started coming back and believing in all my coaches and my teammates have helped me get better every single day.”

Jones (37-5) won one match at last year’s Byron Sectional and finished with a 31-15 record. He’s one of two finalists and three state qualifiers for coach Steve Aiello’s Warriors. Like Stien, Jones was also involved in three close decisions, getting a 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals over Morrison’s Brady Anderson (39-11) before prevailing 5-4 over Princeton junior Casey Etheridge, who is ranked fourth, in the semifinals. For third place, Kelly (37-3), who took fifth place at 157 last season at state, captured a 7-2 decision over Etheridge (44-4), who also qualified for state in 2024. Marquette Academy sophomore Reily Leifheit (38-7) and Morrison’s Anderson both saw their seasons conclude in the consolation semifinals.

175 – Eli Larson, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton

Eli Larson took second place at 175 in last year’s IHSA Class 1A Finals when he dropped a 7-2 decision to Manteno senior Carter Watkins to conclude a 44-6 sophomore season in his initial visit to Champaign. Now the Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior is hopeful that he can not only get back to the Grand March but also add his name to the long list of PantherHawks who have won IHSA championships. He improved to 45-2 after capturing the 175 title at the Oregon Sectional by recording a victory by technical fall in 2:37 over Johnsburg sophomore Duke Mays.

Larson, who’s ranked second at his weight to Coal City’s Landin Benson, who won the Class 1A title at 165 last season, was one of two champions, four finalists and five state qualifiers for coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks. He opened with a fall in 1:26 over Morrison’s Noah Stout and followed that up with a 4-2 decision over Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl in the semifinals.

“This sectional definitely prepares kids the best in 1A for the state tournament,” Larson said. It’s a good environment (Lena-Winslow / Stockton). You grow up, and you wrestle and you go to the duals and you watch it, it’s something that’s installed in you throughout life basically. Being able to watch the ‘17 and ‘19 teams winning state, it was definitely a cool experience to grow up with. Coach Milder, he hammers us all season and he’s definitely getting us ready and he knows what he’s doing. And he’s at 599 wins right now so we’re going to try to get him to 700. I’ve really stopped thinking about how last year went. But definitely it’s some motivation.”

Mays (27-9), one of three state qualifiers who all finished in second place for coach James Sylvanus’ Skyhawks, is making his first trip to state after coming up one win shy of qualifying in 2024 at the Byron Sectional where he closed out his freshman season with a 33-10 record. Mays had to compete in four matches, and two of his victories were by technical fall, including his opener. After winning a 16-4 decision over Sandwich’s Kai Kern in the quarterfinals, he earned his spot in the 175 finals with a win by technical fall in 3:50 over Fulton senior Skylier Crooks. In the third-place match, sophomore Livdahl (41-5) also won by technical fall over Crooks (39-12), needing just 1:51 to close out his win. Livdahl was one of six qualifiers for Richmond-Burton while Crooks was the lone state qualifier for the Steamers. Oregon senior Andrew Young (28-8) and Morrison sophomore Noah Stout (33-9) fell one win shy of state trips.

190 – Jimmy Mastny, Marian Central Catholic

Jimmy Mastny certainly had an impressive debut season in 2023-2024, only losing once in 33 matches and he capped things with a win by fall in 3:23 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Bryson Capansky in the IHSA Class 1A Finals at 157 in Champaign before he closed out his team’s season by helping Marian Central Catholic to claim its first-ever state title in the IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals with a 34-27 victory over defending champion Coal City in Bloomington.

Mastny, top-ranked and unbeaten in Illinois, has only suffered one loss, to Ponderosa, CO’s De’Alcapon Veazy, at the Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in early December. He improved to 49-1 after capturing the 190 championship at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional with a win by fall in 0:59 over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton junior Oliver McPeek. He opened with a pin in 2:21 over Oregon’s Seth Rote and then recorded another fall, this one in 3:50 over Orion’s Maddux Anderson in the semifinals. He was one of four champions and eight state qualifiers for the Hurricanes, who are co-coached by Jordan Blanton and Ryan Prater. And once this weekend is over, Marian Central Catholic looks to repeat as 1A champions at the IHSA Dual Team Finals.

“We had eight qualifiers and I wish we could have gotten a couple more, but that’s what it is,” Mastny said. “Getting bonus points when we can is a big deal. (Camden) Spiniolas, especially, had a great comeback win in the blood round, and (Dan) French, too.”

McPeek (42-5), one of four finalists and five state qualifiers for the PantherHawks, is ranked sixth and is making his first trip to the state finals. He got a pin in his opener and then got another fall, in 3:11, over Richmond-Burton sophomore Breckin Campbell in the semifinals. In the third-place, Orion senior Maddux Anderson (48-3) won by fall in 1:37 over Campbell (36-13). Anderson, a three-time qualifier who placed third at 190 last season, is Orion’s lone qualifier while Campbell is one of six state qualifiers for Richmond-Burton. Alden-Hebron senior Logan Crowell (25-8) and Fulton junior Mason Kuebel (34-10) both lost in the consolation semifinals. 

215 – Jeremiah Luke, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton

Jeremiah Luke assured Lena-Winslow/ Stockton of a second title in three finals matches and also made his team one of three who had more than one sectional champion when he claimed first place at 215 in the Class 1A Oregon Sectional. Luke captured a 16-7 major decision over Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer to add to a title that Eli Larson collected at 175. The PantherHawks had two other finalists, but Arrison Bauer (144) and Oliver McPeek (190) both took second as their team was represented by an individual in four of the final eight title matches. With Mauricio Glass (138) also claiming fourth place, it was a good tournament with five qualifiers for 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder, who now has 599 dual meet wins in his career. 

Luke (42-5), a junior who’s ranked second behind East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin, opened with a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals over Sandwich senior Devon Blanchard and then earned his spot on the 215 title mat with a 10-2 major decision over Marian Central Catholic junior Dan French, who’s ranked fifth, in the semifinals. Luke made his first state trip in 2024 and he went 1-2 to conclude a successful 43-8 sophomore season. Now he’s hoping to do what Larson did last year, which was not only earning a medal but advancing to a title match.

“A lot of good things are happening in our room,” Luke said. “It just really shows our work ethic in the room and we’ve just got a lot of great guys going in to get some work in every day. We lost a couple of guys in the consolations, but it was nice to see Mauricio Glass make it out of the blood rounds and place. It should seed me pretty well, but I just have to keep going back every day in the week and just work as hard as I can to get the results. The thing I like the most about this team is just our tough mentality. Everybody is willing to come into the room and work to the maximum every single day. It’s just a great work ethic all around.”

Schaefer (34-9), who’s a sophomore that is unranked, hopes to make history by becoming the first medal winner for Marquette Academy, which is in Ottawa. He opened with a fall over Wheaton Academy’s Jeremy Johanik (38-11) and then surprised a returning medalist in the semifinals, Kewanee senior Alejandro Duarte by claiming a 16-12 decision to advance to the finals. For third place, French (33-14) recorded a fall in 4:38 over Blanchard (42-10), who was one of two state qualifiers for Sandwich. Duarte (35-5), who took fifth at state at 215 in 2024 and was ranked fifth, lost in both the semifinals and consolation semifinals, and Richmond-Burton freshman Shane Falasca (39-13) also fell one win shy of a trip to state.

285 – Jaylen Torres, St. Francis

Jaylen Torres lost a 2-1 decision to Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell in last year’s IHSA Class 1A championship at 285 and no doubt wants to get back to the Grand March and accomplish some feats that either haven’t been done by an individual from St. Francis yet or it’s been an awful long time since it’s happened. If the Spartans junior wins any medal at the state finals, he’ll be the first from the Wheaton school to be a two-time all-stater. Since there’s only been two finalists in the school’s history, if he gets back to the title mat at State Farm Center, that will also be a first. The elusive goal is one established, coincidentally, by another heavyweight, Bob Hudetz, who won the Class A championship in 1980 for the school’s lone state title. After being the first medal winner from the school in 40 years in 2024, he can rewrite the records this weekend.

Torres, a three-time state qualifier who went 19-2 last season, improved to 28-2 after winning the 285 title at the Oregon Sectional by technical fall in 5:55 over Dakota junior Randy McPeek. Third-ranked at his weight behind Dowell and De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy, he opened with a fall in 3:23 over Byron senior Jared Claunch and then earned his spot on the title mat by capturing a 7-1 decision in the semifinals over Princeton senior Cade Odell, who is ranked fifth. 

McPeek (36-7), a junior who is ranked tenth, earned his first trip to state and was one of two qualifiers and the lone finalist for coach Matt Jacobs’ Indians. His closest match came in his first one where he won 3-1 on a tiebreaker over Richmond-Burton senior Colin Kraus (38-10) in the quarterfinals and then held off a good challenge from Wheaton Academy junior Hezekiah Garcia (30-21) in the semifinals to reach the finals. In the third place match between two seniors, Claunch (38-8), a three-time qualifier who was unranked, edged Odell (31-3), who placed fourth at 285 last season. Claunch was one of two qualifiers for Byron while Odell will join four others from Princeton at state. Two individuals who McPeek beat, Kraus and Garcia, both fell one win shy of advancing to Champaign after falling in the consolation semifinals.

IHSA Class 1A Oregon Sectional Place Matches

106

1st Place Match

Cael Wright (Morrison) 41-2, Fr. over Landon Near (Newman Central Catholic) 39-4, Fr. (Dec 10-8)

3rd Place Match

Lelan Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 41-4, Fr. over Camden Spiniolas (Marian Central Catholic) 26-20, Fr. (Dec 1-0)

113

1st Place Match

Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) 39-7, Jr. over Chase Vogel (Johnsburg) 34-7, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:10 (18-3))

3rd Place Match

Brandon White (Dakota) 33-10, Jr. over Josiah Perez (Oregon) 39-7, Jr. (MD 23-9)

120

1st Place Match

Brayden Teunissen (Marian Central Catholic) 31-5, Sr. over Adam Glauser (Richmond-Burton) 41-9, Fr. (Fall 1:43)

3rd Place Match

Augustus Swanson (Princeton) 28-8, Jr. over Isaiah Perez (Oregon) 37-9, Fr. (MD 13-5)

126

1st Place Match

Clayton Madula (Richmond-Burton) 42-10, Sr. over Gavin Ekberg (North Boone) 37-6, Sr. (Fall 5:10)

3rd Place Match

Alexander Ferari (Lisle) 35-6, Jr. over Nick Marchese (Marian Central Catholic) 25-14, So. (Fall 3:29)

132

1st Place Match

Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) 43-2, Jr. over Lincoln Hoger (Wheaton Academy) 43-7, Jr. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Kane Dauber (Princeton) 46-3, Fr. over Nelson Benesh (Oregon) 40-8, So. (Fall 4:46)

138

1st Place Match

Jude Finch (Rockridge) 38-0, Sr. over Landon Johnson (Johnsburg) 35-5, Sr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Andrew Alvarado (Marian Central Catholic) 22-10, Sr. over Mauricio Glass (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 41-11, Jr. (Fall 4:15)

144

1st Place Match

Emmett Nelson (Richmond-Burton) 41-1, Sr. over Arrison Bauer (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 42-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:15 (22-5))

3rd Place Match

Ace Christiansen (Princeton) 43-5, Sr. over Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 34-5, So. (M. For.)

150

1st Place Match

Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic) 37-5, Sr. over Henry Hildreth (Stillman Valley) 38-5, Sr. (Fall 3:06)

3rd Place Match

Ben Taylor (Kewanee) 34-4, Sr. over Jose Lopez (Amboy/ Ashton-Franklin Center/ LaMoille/ Ohio) 28-15, So. (MD 10-0)

157

1st Place Match

Briar Ivey (Newman Central Catholic) 44-3, Sr. over Blake Smith (Riverdale) 32-1, Sr. (Dec 9-4)

3rd Place Match

Wyatt Goossens (Erie/ Prophetstown) 41-8, Sr. over Chasen Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) 43-7, Sr. (Fall 1:32)

165

1st Place Match

Brody Stien (Byron) 42-5, So. over Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy) 37-5, Jr. (Dec 10-8)

3rd Place Match

Daniel Kelly (Newman Central Catholic) 37-3, Sr. over Casey Etheridge (Princeton) 44-4, Jr. (Dec 7-2)

175

1st Place Match

Eli Larson (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 45-2, Jr. over Duke Mays (Johnsburg) 27-9, So. (TF-1.5 2:37 (17-0))

3rd Place Match

Blake Livdahl (Richmond-Burton) 41-5, So. over Skylier Crooks (Fulton) 39-12, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:51 (18-3))

190

1st Place Match

Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central Catholic) 49-1, So. over Oliver McPeek (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 42-5, Jr. (Fall 0:59)

3rd Place Match

Maddux Anderson (Orion) 48-3, Sr. over Breckin Campbell (Richmond-Burton) 36-13, So. (Fall 1:37)

215

1st Place Match

Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/ Stockton) 42-5, Jr. over Alex Schaefer (Marquette Academy) 34-9, So. (MD 16-7)

3rd Place Match

Dan French (Marian Central Catholic) 33-14, Jr. over Devon Blanchard (Sandwich) 42-10, Sr. (Fall 4:38)

285

1st Place Match

Jaylen Torres (St. Francis) 28-2, Jr. over Randy McPeek (Dakota) 36-7, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:55 (15-0))

3rd Place Match

Jared Claunch (Byron) 38-8, Sr. over Cade Odell (Princeton) 31-3, Sr. (Dec 4-3)

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Unity gets seven qualifiers at Clinton Sectional

Unity had three champions and four other medalists to give it a tournament-best seven state qualifiers at the IHSA Class 1A Clinton Sectional. Coach Logan Patton’s qualified for the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals and hope that they can make a return trip to Bloomington this season. Canton, Olympia and PORTA are the other teams at the Clinton Sectional who will compete in the Unity Dual Team in Tolono next Tuesday to see which two of them go to dual team state. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher, LeRoy/ Tri-Valley, Olympia and PORTA all had four qualifiers.

Winning sectional titles for Unity were Kaden Inman (45-5 at 144), Abram Davidson (45-5 at 165) and Hunter Eastin (48-2 at 190). Finishing in second place were Hunter Shike (30-10 at 132) and Ryan Rink (40-9 at 175) and finishing in third place were Taylor Finley (47-5 at 138) and Holden Brazelton (45-7 at 150).

Other sectional champions were LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s Brady Mouser (39-3 at 120), Brock Owens (43-8 at 157) and Tate Sigler (44-5 at 285), Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Charlie Flores (47-3 at 106) and Angel Zamora (48-1 at 175), Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke (41-1 at 132)  and Clinton VerHeecke (40-0 at 138), Olympia’s Dylan Eimer (40-4 at 113), Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers (45-3 at 126), Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (49-0 at 150)  and El Paso-Gridley’s Ryden Barker (44-3 at 215).

Also finishing in second place were Canton’s Jaxsun Owens (28-10 at 106) and Connor Williams (34-0 at 285), Clinton’s Briley Carter (36-10 at 113), Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth’s Logan Roberts (39-3 at 120), University High’s Ruben Rivera (37-9 at 126), Olympia’s Cooper Phillips (34-10 at 138), Farmington/ Cuba’s Bradlee Ellis (41-4 at 144), LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Kobe Brent (43-7 at 150), Pontiac’s Lucas Maier (34-12 at 157), Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (47-3 at 165), Mercer County’s Bodie Salmon (26-7 at 190) and Quincy Notre Dame’s Ryan Darnell (43-7 at 215).

The closest title matches were Owens edging Maier 5-4 at 157, Eastin getting past Salmon 5-4 at 190, Mouser beating Roberts 7-5 at 120 and Davidson prevailing over Delaney 7-5 at 165.

Additional third-place finishers were PORTA’s Zach Bryant (42-11 at 132) and Justin Zimmerman (41-9 at 157), Olympia’s Brandon Gaither (40-9 at 106), El Paso-Gridley’s Tom Erwin (43-6 at 113), Illini Bluffs’ Barret Speck (43-6 at 120), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher’s Landen Lage (39-4 at 126), Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth’s Charlie Wittmer (43-8 at 144), Mercer County’s Eli Burns (20-4 at 165), Illini West’s Shawn Watkins (36-5 at 175),  Clinton’s Kristan Hibbard (35-9 at 190), Peoria Notre Dame’s Joe Culp (40-10 at 215) and

Beardstown’s Chunk Dailey (48-6 at 285).

Fourth-place finishes were also turned in by Canton’s  Jacob Hardesty (33-8 at 120), Dyllan Steele (31-4 at 126), Alex Carrier (29-13 at 144) and Gus Lidwell (14-11 at 175), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher’s Nolan Lowe (31-10 at 132), Hunter Brandon (14-6 at 138) and Hudson Babb (36-11 at 150), PORTA’s Coyt Rademaker (35-16 at 106) and Kainin Fillbright (38-12 at 113), Olympia’s Kelton Graden (21-7 at 157), Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Ayden Larkin (37-8 at 165), Knoxville’s Brydon Walters (29-8 at 190), Monmouth-Roseville’s Alex Gandarilla (33-10 at 215) and Peoria Notre Dame’s Brady Mullens (32-16 at 285). 

Returning state medalists who competed in the sectional (with their finishes from last year) were: State champions: Illini Bluffs’ Jackson Carroll (144) and Unity’s Hunter Eastin (190); Second place: Peoria Notre Dame’s Ian Akers (113), Unity’s Kaden Inman (144) and Tremont’s Bowden Delaney (165); Third place: Unity Christian’s Garrett VerHeecke (126); Fourth place: Olympia’s Dylan Eimer (113) and Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Angel Zamora (175); Fifth place: Unity Christian’s Clinton VerHeecke (120) and Unity’s Ryan Rink (165);  Sixth place: Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth’s Logan Roberts (120) and Hoopeston Area/ Milford’s Ayden Larkin (157).

Multiple state medal winners who took part in the sectional included Ian Akers, Holden Brazelton, Dylan Eimer, Clinton VerHeecke and Garrett VerHeecke. Four-time state qualifiers who competed in the sectional included Ian Akers, Holden Brazelton, Jackson Carroll, Bowden Delaney, Kaden Inman and Brady Mouser. 

IHSA Class 1A Clinton Sectional Place Matches

106

1st Place Match

Charlie Flores (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 47-3, Jr. over Jaxsun Owens (Canton) 28-10, So. (Fall 0:54)

3rd Place Match

Brandon Gaither (Olympia) 40-9, Fr. over Coyt Rademaker (PORTA) 35-16, Fr. (MD 14-3)

113

1st Place Match

Dylan Eimer (Olympia) 40-4, Sr. over Briley Carter (Clinton) 36-10, So. (TF-1.5 4:31 (18-3))

3rd Place Match

Tom Erwin (El Paso-Gridley) 43-6, Fr. over Kainin Fillbright (PORTA) 38-12, Fr. (Dec 10-6)

120

1st Place Match

Brady Mouser (LeRoy/ Tri-Valley) 39-3, Sr. over Logan Roberts (Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth) 39-3, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Barret Speck (Illini Bluffs) 43-6, Fr. over Jacob Hardesty (Canton) 33-8, So. (MD 9-0)

126

1st Place Match

Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) 45-3, Sr. over Ruben Rivera (University High) 37-9, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:22 (19-2))

3rd Place Match

Landen Lage (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 39-4, Fr. over Dyllan Steele (Canton) 31-4, Jr. (MD 10-0)

132

1st Place Match

Garrett VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 41-1, Jr. over Hunter Shike (Unity) 30-10, Jr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Zach Bryant (PORTA) 42-11, Jr. over Nolan Lowe (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 31-10, So. (MD 11-3)

138

1st Place Match

Clinton VerHeecke (Unity Christian) 40-0, Jr. over Cooper Phillips (Olympia) 34-10, Sr. (Fall 0:13)

3rd Place Match

Taylor Finley (Unity) 47-5, So. over Hunter Brandon (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 14-6, Fr. (Fall 4:47)

144

1st Place Match

Kaden Inman (Unity) 45-5, Sr. over Bradlee Ellis (Farmington/ Cuba) 41-4, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:18 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

Charlie Wittmer (Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth) 43-8, Jr. over Alex Carrier (Canton) 29-13, So. (Dec 10-4)

150

1st Place Match

Jackson Carroll (Illini Bluffs) 49-0, Sr. over Kobe Brent (LeRoy/ Tri-Valley) 43-7, Sr. (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Holden Brazelton (Unity) 45-7, Sr. over Hudson Babb (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 36-11, So. (Fall 0:53)

157

1st Place Match

Brock Owens (LeRoy/ Tri-Valley) 43-8, Sr. over Lucas Maier (Pontiac) 34-12, Fr. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match150

Justin Zimmerman (PORTA) 41-9, Jr. over Kelton Graden (Olympia) 21-7, Sr. (MD 16-6)

165

1st Place Match

Abram Davidson (Unity) 45-5, Jr. over Bowden Delaney (Tremont) 47-3, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Eli Burns (Mercer County) 20-4, Jr. over Ayden Larkin (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 37-8, Sr. (MD 16-2)

175

1st Place Match

Angel Zamora (Hoopeston Area/ Milford) 48-1, Sr. over Ryan Rink (Unity) 40-9, Sr. (Fall 5:14)

3rd Place Match

Shawn Watkins (Illini West) 36-5, Sr. over Gus Lidwell (Canton) 14-11, Sr. (MD 14-2)

190

1st Place Match

Hunter Eastin (Unity) 48-2, Sr. over Bodie Salmon (Mercer County) 26-7, Sr. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Kristan Hibbard (Clinton) 35-9, Sr. over Brydon Walters (Knoxville) 29-8, Jr. (Fall 1:29)

215

1st Place Match

Ryden Barker (El Paso-Gridley) 44-3, Sr. over Ryan Darnell (Quincy Notre Dame) 43-7, Sr. (Fall 5:49)

3rd Place Match

Joe Culp (Peoria Notre Dame) 40-10, Sr. over Alex Gandarilla (Monmouth-Roseville) 33-10, Jr. (Dec 15-12)

285

1st Place Match

Tate Sigler (LeRoy/ Tri-Valley) 44-5, Sr. over Connor Williams (Canton) 34-0, Jr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Chunk Dailey (Beardstown) 48-6, Sr. over Brady Mullens (Peoria Notre Dame) 32-16, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:43 (19-3))

Vandalia qualifies 13 at Carterville Sectional, Waughtel makes IHSA history

Vandalia heads to this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Individual Finals in Champaign with a lot of momentum after it won six titles and had five other individuals qualify from the Carterville Sectional. 

Coach Jason Clay’s Vandals, who are top-ranked in Class 1A and finished fourth in the IHSA Dual Team Finals last season, are hoping to cap off a great season in individual competition where they won invites at Civic Memorial, Princeton and Litchfield and the Litchfield Regional.

Vandalia has had four individual state champions in its history with Jarek Wehrle winning the 2021 IWCOA Open Finals and Jo-E Smith the last to take first place at an IHSA Finals in 2007. Considering that four of their sectional champions have won IHSA titles or finished second there, the Vandals have a good opportunity to finish with multiple state champions for the first time.

One of Vandalia’s sectional champions, senior Tyson Waughtel, made IHSA history by becoming Illinois’ all-time winningest wrestler and he now owns a 202-2 record. He collected his 200th triumph in the 126 quarterfinals against Roxana’s Lleyton Cobine, his 201st victory in the semifinals against Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Devin Ehler and his historic 202nd win in the title match against Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler.

That moves him past the rest of the top five in wins, according to the IHSA. They are: Montini Catholic’s Garrett Goebel, 2004-08 (201); Niles West and Montini Catholic’s Stephen Robertson, 2008-11 (201); St. Rita’s Albert White, 2003-07 (200); and Montini Catholic’s Mike Benefiel, 2003-07 (200).

Winning sectional titles for Vandalia were Aiden Evans (39-9 at 106), Max Philpot (43-0 at 113), Preston Waughtel (48-1 at 120), Tyson Waughtel (50-0 at 126), Dillon Hinton (48-2 at 150) and Ross Miller (40-10 at 175). Finishing in second place were Cole Yarbrough (36-10 at 138) and Dominic Swyers (34-16 at 285) while Artan Mustafa (39-12 at 165) and Kaden Tidwell (46-3 at 215) placed third and Parker Ray (40-9 at 157) finished fourth.

“Super proud of the fight our guys showed especially on Saturday,” said Clay, who will be honored on Friday as one of this year’s inductees into the IWCOA Hall of Fame. “Eleven state qualifiers and six sectional champions are both amazing numbers. We came very close to getting all 13 guys through losing two tough matches in the blood round. We are so excited to get to Champaign Thursday. These next two weeks is what we have been working months for. Excited to watch our guys make the push for their goals and plan to enjoy every minute of it.”

Oakwood/ Salt Fork qualified six individuals while Althoff Catholic, Benton/ Sesser-Valier, Murphysboro and Waterloo all had four individuals who are moving on to Champaign.

Other sectional champions were Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. (37-0 at 132) and Lyndon Thies (42-2 at 165), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Pedro Rangel (41-7 at 138), Murphysboro’s Bryce Edwards (39-4 at 144), Richland County’s Carson Bissey (17-1 at 157), Red Bud/ Valmeyer’s Danny Jackson (41-5 at 190), East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (39-1 at 215)  and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell (30-0 at 285). 

Also finishing in second place were Althoff Catholic’s Jacobi Cobbs (30-6 at 106) and Brenden Rayl (34-1 at 132), Mt. Zion’s Carson Thornton (31-8 at 175) and Keller Stocks (42-7 at 215), Benton/ Sesser-Valier’s Cohen Sweely (42-4 at 113), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Mason Swartz (41-5 at 120), Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (43-8 at 126), Roxana’s Logan Riggs (35-12 at 144), 

Salem’s Keyton King (43-2 at 150), Cumberland’s Owen McGinnis (37-5 at 157), Shelbyville’s Ryne Peavler (35-6 at 165) and Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Casen Lyons (38-11 at 190).

Close title matches included Rangel getting past Yarbrough 9-6 at 138, Evans beating Cobbs 7-3 at 106, Philpot prevailing over Sweely 6-2 at 113 and Bissey defeating McGinnis 4-0 at 157.

Other third-place finishers were Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Steven Uden (40-5 at 106) and Devin Ehler (9-1 at 126), Murphysboro’s Paxton Pyatt (47-5 at 113) and Julien Tanner (30-4 at 285), Litchfield/ Mt. Olive’s Vincent Moore (43-8 at 120) and Braxton Kieffer (35-11 at 157), Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm’s Gabriel Kiddoo (39-8 at 150) and Ethan Miller (42-7 at 190), Shelbyville’s  Bodee Fathauer (31-8 at 132), Robinson’s Broady Kelly (30-5 at 138), Lawrence County’s Hudson Meek (36-10 at 144) and Trico/ Elverado’s Colin Hughey (37-5 at 175).

Additional fourth-place finishes were turned in by Benton/ Sesser-Valier’s Braxton Tittle (47-7 at 106), Kaden Blades (22-7 at 138) and Tiffin Kouzoukas (40-8 at 150), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Tyler Huchel (39-9 at 130) and Carter Chambliss (28-20 at 144), Mt. Zion’s Vincent Baker (36-15 at 113), Effingham’s Kaiden Stewart (36-13 at 120), Althoff Catholic’s Dawson Hawthorne (28-2 at 126), Murphysboro’s Maxon Stearns (37-12 at 165), Fairfield’s Talan Keoughan (35-7 at 175), Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook (39-10 at 190), Litchfield/ Mt. Olive’s Tristan Staggs (38-11 at 215) and Shelbyville’s Andre Townsend (40-8 at 285). 

Twelve of the state qualifiers from the Carterville Sectional were IHSA medalists last season. They were (with finishes from 2024): State champions: Vandalia’s Preston Waughtel (113) and Althoff Catholic’s Jason Dowell (285); Second place: Vandalia’s Max Philpot (106), Tyson Waughtel (120) and Dillon Hinton (138) and East Alton-Wood River’s Drake Champlin (215); Fourth place: Richland County’s Carson Bissey (132), Murphysboro’s Bryce Edwards (144), Roxana’s Lyndon Thies (157) and Vandalia’s Kaden Tidwell (190); Fifth place: Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. (132); and Sixth place: Benton/ Sesser-Valier’s Cohen Sweely (113).

The only three-time medalist from the sectional is Tyson Waughtel while two-time medal winners include Carson Bissey, Jason Dowell, Dillon Hinton and Drew Sadler. Four-time IHSA qualifiers who were in the Carterville Sectional include Drake Champlin, Pedro Rangel, Drew Sadler and Tyson Waughtel.

IHSA Class 1A Carterville Sectional place matches

106

1st Place Match

Aiden Evans (Vandalia) 39-9, Fr. over Jacobi Cobbs (Althoff Catholic) 30-6, So. (Dec 7-3)

3rd Place Match

Steven Uden (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 40-5, So. over Braxton Tittle (Benton/ Sesser-Valier) 47-7, So. (TF-1.5 0:00 (18-3))

113

1st Place Match

Max Philpot (Vandalia) 43-0, So. over Cohen Sweely (Benton/ Sesser-Valier) 42-4, So. (Dec 6-2)

3rd Place Match

Paxton Pyatt (Murphysboro) 47-5, So. over Vincent Baker (Mt. Zion) 36-15, Jr. (TF-1.5 0:00 (17-0))

120

1st Place Match

Preston Waughtel (Vandalia) 48-1, So. over Mason Swartz (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 41-5, Fr. (TF-1.5 0:00 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Vincent Moore (Litchfield/ Mt. Olive) 43-8, Jr. over Kaiden Stewart (Effingham) 36-13, Sr. (TF-1.5 0:00 (19-3))

126

1st Place Match

Tyson Waughtel (Vandalia) 50-0, Sr. over Drew Sadler (Anna-Jonesboro) 43-8, Sr. (Fall 2:35)

3rd Place Match

Devin Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 9-1, Fr. over Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff Catholic) 28-2, So. (MD 14-6)

132

1st Place Match

Brandon Green, Jr. (Roxana) 37-0, Jr. over Brenden Rayl (Althoff Catholic) 34-1, Sr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Bodee Fathauer (Shelbyville) 31-8, Jr. over Tyler Huchel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 39-9, Sr. (Dec 9-3)

138

1st Place Match

Pedro Rangel (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 41-7, Sr. over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) 36-10, So. (Dec 9-6)

3rd Place Match

Broady Kelly (Robinson) 30-5, Jr. over Kaden Blades (Benton/ Sesser-Valier) 22-7, Jr. (Fall 0:36)

144

1st Place Match

Bryce Edwards (Murphysboro) 39-4, Sr. over Logan Riggs (Roxana) 35-12, Jr. (MD 12-4)

3rd Place Match

Hudson Meek (Lawrence County) 36-10, So. over Carter Chambliss (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 28-20, Sr. (Dec 9-2)

150

1st Place Match

Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) 48-2, Jr. over Keyton King (Salem) 43-2, Sr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Gabriel Kiddoo (Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 39-8, Sr. over Tiffin Kouzoukas (Benton/ Sesser-Valier) 40-8, Sr. (MD 9-1)

157

1st Place Match

Carson Bissey (Richland County) 17-1, Sr. over Owen McGinnis (Cumberland) 37-5, Jr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Braxton Kieffer (Litchfield/ Mt. Olive) 35-11, Jr. over Parker Ray (Vandalia) 40-9, Sr. (MD 26-13)

165

1st Place Match

Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 42-2, Jr. over Ryne Peavler (Shelbyville) 35-6, Jr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) 39-12, Sr. over Maxon Stearns (Murphysboro) 37-12, So. (Fall 7:12)

175

1st Place Match

Ross Miller (Vandalia) 40-10, Jr. over Carson Thornton (Mt. Zion) 31-8, Jr. (MD 13-3)

3rd Place Match

Colin Hughey (Trico/ Elverado) 37-5, Sr. over Talan Keoughan (Fairfield) 35-7, Sr. (M. For.)

190

1st Place Match

Danny Jackson (Red Bud/ Valmeyer) 41-5, Fr. over Casen Lyons (Sacred Heart-Griffin) 38-11, So. (TF-1.5 0:00 (19-4))

3rd Place Match

Ethan Miller (Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 42-7, Jr. over Tucker Cook (Pittsfield) 39-10, Sr. (Fall 7:37)

215

1st Place Match

Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) 39-1, Sr. over Keller Stocks (Mt. Zion) 42-7, Jr. (TF-1.5 0:00 (18-0))

3rd Place Match

Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) 46-3, Sr. over Tristan Staggs (Litchfield/ Mt. Olive) 38-11, Jr. (TF-1.5 0:00 (18-0))

285

1st Place Match

Jason Dowell (Althoff Catholic) 30-0, Sr. over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) 34-16, So. (Fall 1:45)

3rd Place Match

Julien Tanner (Murphysboro) 30-4, Jr. over Andre Townsend (Shelbyville) 40-8, Sr. (Fall 1:42)

Coal City has seven champs, qualifies 13 at own sectional

Last year’s IHSA Class 1A runner-up and the 2023 IHSA Class 1A state champion Coal City will be well-represented at this weekend’s IHSA Class 1A Individual State Finals at the State Farm Center in Champaign with seven champions and six other qualifiers from its own Coal City Sectional. Also, Chicago Hope Academy set a new school record after qualifying nine individuals.

De La Salle Institute and Reed-Custer both qualified five individuals while Clifton Central/ Iroquois West advanced four individuals to state. On Tuesday, the Coalers will host a dual team sectional featuring them, Chicago Hope Academy, King College Prep and Northridge Prep with the two winners advancing to next weekend’s Class 1A Dual Team Finals in Bloomington.

Leading the way for coach Mark Masters’ Coalers were title winners Owen Petersen (40-2 at 113), Cooper Morris (37-5 at 126), Brody Widlowski (24-0 at 138), Aidan Kenney (36-10 at 144), Mason Garner (32-6 at 157), Landin Benson (38-2 at 175) and John Keigher (32-1 at 215),

Finishing in second place for the Coalers were Culan Lindemuth (33-11 at 120) and Brock Finch (29-8 at 165). Taking third place were Luke Munsterman (37-12 at 132), Noah Houston (29-13 at 150) and Cade Poyner (33-7 at 190) while Jason Piatak (33-17 at 106) claimed fourth place.

De La Salle Institute had three champions, Jeremiah Lawrence (15-1 at 120), Terrelle Jackson (24-10 at 190) and David McCarthy (28-2 at 285). The other Coal City Sectional title winners were Reed-Custer’s Colton Drinkwine (44-5 at 106), Chicago Hope Academy’s Josiah Willis (40-9 at 132), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch (45-3 at 150) and Northridge Prep’s Adam Haddad (36-2 at 165).

Chicago Hope Academy received second-place finishes from Indigo Berg (37-12 at 106), Nolan Callahan (39-9 at 113) and Tony Jones-Blakely (27-15 at 157). Also finishing in second place were Reed-Custer’s Jeremy Eggleston (44-3 at 138) and Dominic Alaimo (42-6 at 215), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West’s Evan Cox (42-10 at 144) and Gianni Panozzo (44-6 at 150), Northridge Prep’s Joe Kopecky (28-6 at 126), Rickover Naval Academy’s Justin Hernandez (31-5 at 132), De La Salle Institute’s Marquis Mays (22-6 at 175), Horizon Science Academy Southwest Chicago’s Sami Marrero (31-0 at 190) and Seneca’s Jeremy Gagnon (46-2 at 285).

Some of the closest title matches included Widlowski edging Eggleston 4-1 at 138, Crouch getting past Panozzo 8-4 at 150 and McCarthy prevailing over Gagnon 7-1 at 285.

There were four third-place finishers for Chicago Hope Academy, Dylan Galvez (34-14 at 144), Arkail Griffin (46-4 at 165), Ismael Martinez (18-7 at 175) and Roy Phelps (44-5 at 285). Others who placed third were Seneca’s Raiden Terry (47-2 at 106), De La Salle Institute’s Justin Forbes (33-9 at 113), Reed-Custer’s Kaaden Wood (37-11 at 120), Westmont’s Christian Rosa (35-10 at 126), Bishop McNamara’s Alex Kostecka (32-18 at 138), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West’s Giona Panozzo (37-13 at 157) and Phoenix Military Academy’s Kaleb Abney (27-4 at 215).

Additional fourth-place finishers were Perspectives Technology and Leadership Academy’s Donald Bunton Jr. (29-7 at 120) and Nicario Bella (31-8 at 138), Reed-Custer’s Cole Harris (34-14 at 113), Nazareth Academy’s Alek Ramos (20-9 at 126), Bishop McNamara’s Blake Arseneau (25-14 at 132), Northridge Prep’s Javi Rodriguez (23-12 at 144), Chicago Hope Academy’s Santori Knight (35-17 at 150), Westmont’s Sean Patterson (29-20 at 157), Seneca’s

Nick Grant (38-15 at 165), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington’s Gavin Bafia (26-20 at 175), Wilmington’s Logan Van Duyne (38-6 at 190), Clifton Central/ Iroquois West’s Brody O`Connor (32-15 at 215) and Leo’s Nicholas Armour (31-7 at 285).

Returning state medal winners who competed in the sectional (with their finishes from 2024) were: State champion: Coal City’s Landin Benson (165); Second place: Coal City’s Brody Widlowski (126); Third place: De La Salle Institute’s Jeremiah Lawrence (106); Fifth place: Coal City’s Cooper Morris (113), Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington’s Dylan Crouch (138) and De La Salle Institute’s David McCarthy (285); Sixth place: Coal City’s Owen Petersen (106) and Chicago Hope Academy’s Roy Phelps (285). 

The lone two-time IHSA medalist in the Coal City Sectional was Brody Widlowski. Four-time IHSA qualifiers who competed in the sectional were Dylan Crouch and Culan Lindemuth.

IHSA Class 1A Coal City Sectional place matches

106

1st Place Match

Colton Drinkwine (Reed-Custer) 44-5, Fr. over Indigo Berg (Chicago Hope Academy) 37-12, Fr. (Fall 2:59)

3rd Place Match

Raiden Terry (Seneca) 47-2, So. over Jason Piatak (Coal City) 33-17, Fr. (Fall 3:55)

113

1st Place Match

Owen Petersen (Coal City) 40-2, So. over Nolan Callahan (Chicago Hope Academy) 39-9, Fr. (MD 15-2)

3rd Place Match

Justin Forbes (De La Salle Institute) 33-9, Fr. over Cole Harris (Reed-Custer) 34-14, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:13 (19-4))

120

1st Place Match

Jeremiah Lawrence (De La Salle Institute) 15-1, Jr. over Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) 33-11, Sr. (MD 20-11)

3rd Place Match

Kaaden Wood (Reed-Custer) 37-11, So. over Donald Bunton Jr (Perspectives Technology and Leadership Academy) 29-7, Jr. (Dec 11-8)

126

1st Place Match

Cooper Morris (Coal City) 37-5, So. over Joe Kopecky (Northridge Prep) 28-6, Fr. (Fall 3:11)

3rd Place Match

Christian Rosa (Westmont) 35-10, Sr. over Alek Ramos (Nazareth Academy) 20-9, So. (Dec 4-2)

132

1st Place Match

Josiah Willis (Chicago Hope Academy) 40-9, So. over Justin Hernandez (Rickover Naval Academy) 31-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:51 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Luke Munsterman (Coal City) 37-12, Jr. over Blake Arseneau (Bishop McNamara) 25-14, Jr. (Dec 3-0)

138

1st Place Match

Brody Widlowski (Coal City) 24-0, Jr. over Jeremy Eggleston (Reed-Custer) 44-3, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Alex Kostecka (Bishop McNamara) 32-18, Jr. over Nicario Bella (Perspectives Technology and Leadership Academy) 31-8, Sr. (Fall 1:40)

144

1st Place Match

Aidan Kenney (Coal City) 36-10, Jr. over Evan Cox (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 42-10, Jr. (Fall 4:59)

3rd Place Match

Dylan Galvez (Chicago Hope Academy) 34-14, So. over Javi Rodriguez (Northridge Prep) 23-12, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:27 (18-3))

150

1st Place Match

Dylan Crouch (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 45-3, Sr. over Gianni Panozzo (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 44-6, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

3rd Place Match

Noah Houston (Coal City) 29-13, Jr. over Santori Knight (Chicago Hope Academy) 35-17, Jr. (Dec 4-2)

157

1st Place Match

Mason Garner (Coal City) 32-6, Jr. over Tony Jones-Blakely (Chicago Hope Academy) 27-15, Sr. (Fall 1:33)

3rd Place Match

Giona Panozzo (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 37-13, Jr. over Sean Patterson (Westmont) 29-20, Sr. (MD 11-1)

165

1st Place Match

Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) 36-2, Sr. over Brock Finch (Coal City) 29-8, Jr. (MD 10-0)

3rd Place Match

Arkail Griffin (Chicago Hope Academy) 46-4, So. over Nick Grant (Seneca) 38-15, Sr. (TF-1.5 5:47 (19-3))

175

1st Place Match

Landin Benson (Coal City) 38-2, Sr. over Marquis Mays (Chicago (De La Salle Institute) 22-6, Sr. (Fall 2:51)

3rd Place Match

Ismael Martinez (Chicago Hope Academy) 18-7, Jr. over Gavin Bafia (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 26-20, Jr. (Fall 2:28)

190

1st Place Match

Terrelle Jackson (De La Salle Institute) 24-10, Sr. over Sami Marrero (Horizon Science Academy Southwest Chicago) 31-0, Jr. (M. For.)

3rd Place Match

Cade Poyner (Coal City) 33-7, Jr. over Logan Van Duyne (Wilmington) 38-6, Jr. (Dec 4-2)

215

1st Place Match

John Keigher (Coal City) 32-1, Sr. over Dominic Alaimo (Reed-Custer) 42-6, Jr. (Fall 3:49)

3rd Place Match

Kaleb Abney (Phoenix Military Academy) 27-4, Sr. over Brody O`Connor (Clifton Central/ Iroquois West) 32-15, Jr. (Fall 1:13)

285

1st Place Match

David McCarthy (De La Salle Institute) 28-2, Sr. over Jeremy Gagnon (Seneca) 46-2, Sr. (Dec 7-1)

3rd Place Match

Roy Phelps (Chicago Hope Academy) 44-5, Sr. over Nicholas Armour (Leo) 31-7, Sr. (Fall 2:32)