Class 2A Regional Roundup

By Curt Herron

For the IWCOA

Here’s a look at the 16 regional championship teams in Class 2A as well as all of the individual champions from those tournaments, including their records going into sectionals.

All of the summaries are grouped together in the individual sectional that they will be competing in this weekend. A special thanks to all of the coaches who sent team pictures.

Mahomet-Seymour Individual Sectional & TBA Dual Team Sectional

Mahomet-Seymour – Mahomet-Seymour Regional champions

Fifth-ranked Mahomet-Seymour prevailed in a regional featuring several top teams after scoring 229 points to defeat runner-up No. 11 Normal West, who scored 205 points. No. 19 Centennial (154) and No. 17 Bloomington (138) were next-best.

Capturing titles for coach Rob Ledin’s champion Bulldogs, who had 10 sectional qualifiers, were Caden Hatton (40-4 at 106), Tallen Pawlak (30-11 at 138), Braeden Heinold (39-8 at 152), Brennan Houser (37-6 at 170), Mateo Casillas (46-1 at 195) and Camden Harms (30-6 at 285). It’s the seventh-straight season that the program has won a regional title and they hope to make their third state dual team trip during that time, including a visit in 2020.

Normal West, who qualified 11, got titles from Matt Bicknell (18-6 at 113), Froylan Racey (31-3 at 120) and Austin Johnston (30-5 at 126). Bloomington’s champions were Dylan Watts (26-6 at 132), Jacob Barger (30-7 at 145) and Jack Weltha (29-2 at 220). Winning a title for Centennial, who had eight qualifiers, was Kodiac Pruitt (27-11 at 160) while Danville got a first-place finish from Phillip Shaw (23-4 at 182).

Glenwood – Jacksonville Regional champions

Eighth-ranked Glenwood easily captured top honors in the Jacksonville Regional after winning seven titles and qualifying 12 individuals for the sectional to score 227 points, placing it well ahead of the host Crimsons, who had 141 points to take second place.

Top finishers for coach Jerod Bruner’s champion Titans were first-place finishers Andrew Davis (10-0 at 106), Braxton Warren (20-12 at 126), John Ben Maduena (29-16 at 132), Aden Byal (39-6 at 145), Brandon Bray (22-20 at 195), Jaidyn Lee (28-9 at 220) and Alex Hamrick (44-2 at 285). The program hopes to get back to the dual team finals, which they last did in both 2018 and 2019.

Jacksonville, who qualified eight individuals, got titles from Collin Reif (29-4 at 138), James Cotton (33-3 at 152) and Luca Thies (30-9 at 182). Also finishing in first place were Lanphier’s Connor Janssen (28-4 at 160) and Gabriel Orosco (31-4 at 170), Rochester’s Adam Gribbins (22-9 at 113) and Springfield High’s Kaden Rios (14-13 at 120).

Marion – Mt. Vernon Regional champions

Marion won its first-ever regional championship and moved up to No. 22 in the rankings after scoring 212 points to take top honors at the Mt. Vernon Regional while No. 23 Mattoon finished in second place with 185 points and the host Rams were third with 144.5 points.

Leading the way for coach Darren Lindsey’s first-place Wildcats, who had 11 sectional qualifiers, were champions Tate Miller (32-9 at 120), Ricky Wade (30-0 at 132), Nate Dampier (34-1 at 152) and Kanye Gunn (23-3 at 285).

Mattoon, who qualified for the dual team finals in 2020, had nine qualifiers and six champions, Brady Foster (31-1 at 113), Korbin Bateman (30-4 at 126), Mick Porter (22-13 at 138), Kiefer Duncan (36-2 at 145), Aidan Spurgeon (21-2 at 195) and Leo Meyer (31-7 at 220). Mt. Vernon, who had eight sectional qualifiers, got titles from Maddux Randall (31-8 at 170) and Jared Shafer (32-2 at 182). Other champions were MacArthur’s Logan Roberts (20-0 at 106) and Carbondale’s Isaiah Duckworth (28-9 at 160), with the latter being one of the Terriers’ eight qualifiers.

Civic Memorial – Civic Memorial Regional champions

Tenth-ranked Civic Memorial captured its first regional championship since 1996 when it won its own regional tournament in Bethalto with 224.5 points while No. 25 Triad took second place with 188 points and Waterloo was third with 124.5 points.

Top performers for coach Jeremy Christeson’s first-place Eagles, who had 12 sectional qualifiers, were champions Bradley Ruckman (36-5 at 106), Ethan Skiff (18-9 at 113), Bryce Griffin (35-5 at 138), Abe Wojcikiewicz (34-0 at 170) and Colton Carlisle (36-2 at 182). The program placed second at the IWCOA finals in 2021.

Champions for Triad, who had 10 qualifiers, were Colby Crouch (28-0 at 120), Aiden Postma (31-6 at 145) and Landon Tourville (29-10 at 195), Winning titles for Waterloo, who had seven sectional qualifiers, were Gavin Hearren (20-3 at 126) and Jordan Sommers (37-0 at 220). Also capturing first-place finishes were Mascoutah’s Santino Robinson (38-1 at 132), East St. Louis’ Cody Powell (19-9 at 152), Highland’s Ben Mitchell (32-8 at 160) and Jersey’s Jayden Busch (27-6 at 285).

Hinsdale South Individual Sectional & Brother Rice Dual Team Sectional

Saint Ignatius College Prep – Kenwood Regional champions 

Saint Ignatius College Prep prevailed by a 196-188.5 over the host school to claim top honors in the Kenwood Regional, which was held in Chicago. Gary Comer College Prep took third place with 143 points.

Leading the way for coach Ben Sanchez’s champion Wolfpack were title winners Nate Sanchez (30-7 at 113), Dylan Kabance (29-7 at 132), Sam Opawuyi (6-3 at 182) and Damian Lassak (14-3 at 285). The team has 10 sectional qualifiers in Sanchez’s first year as head coach and it’s the first regional championship that the program has won.

Kenwood had five champions among its 10 sectional qualifiers, Cameron Griffin (23-10 at 120), Billy Torin (26-9 at 145), Joshua Butler (28-6 at 160), Dimitri Walker-Hunt (28-11 at 170) and Adam Achebe (28-3 at 220). Gary Comer College Prep also advanced 10 to the sectional and got firsts from Malik Wynn (16-12 at 138) and Donovan Hall (27-4 at 152). Others who won titles were Washington’s Juan Jimenez (21-3 at 126) and Christian Leyva (15-6 at 195) and De La Salle Institute’s Raymond Alvarado (18-4 at 106).

Riverside-Brookfield – Hinsdale South Regional champions 

Riverside-Brookfield moved up to No. 21 in the rankings following its title at the Hinsdale South Regional in Darien where it scored 225 points, putting it well ahead of the host Hornets, who took second place with 182 points.

Coach Nicholas Curby’s first-place Bulldogs had a sectional-best 14 sectional qualifiers to go with titles from Quintavius Murrell (21-17 at 120), Mateo Costello (31-5 at 126), Brock Hoyd (31-4 at 170), Liam Cote (20-6 at 182) and Thurman Givens (13-10 at 195). It’s their second-straight regional title and they hope to return to the dual team finals.

Hinsdale South had 10 sectional qualifiers and four first-place finishers, Trent Ferguson (10-7 at 138), Alec Miller (12-8 at 152), Manny Wallace (25-5 at 160) and Griffin Carr (19-12 at 220). Other champions were Lindblom’s Diego Salgado (23-3 at 113), Zachary Carter (19-2 at 132) and Ashton Allen (12-5 at 145) and Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado (19-1 at 106) and Raymond Begay (28-2 at 285).

Oak Forest – Oak Forest Regional champions 

No. 18 Oak Forest had no troubles capturing top honors at its own regional, winning nine titles and qualifying 13 individuals to score 226 points, which placed it well ahead of runner-up Hillcrest, who had 108 points.

Leading the way for coach Shawn Forst’s Bengals were champions Tyler Evitts (19-3 at 120), Caden Muselman (25-2 at 126), Hunter Hale (17-13 at 138), Connor Nowicki (22-8 at 145), Ivan Corral (24-6 at 152), Max Corral (28-12 at 160), Joe Castaneda (18-8 at 170), Gavin Brown (13-14 at 182) and Adam Richtor (17-7 at 220). This is the program’s sixth regional title since 2014 and they would like to make a fifth trip to dual team state during that time, which includes a pair of third-place finishes.

Others who won titles were Thornton’s Keevin Osborne (4-2 at 106), Marian Catholic’s Ian Toosevich (3-9 at 113), Hillcrest’s K’vion Bills (3-0 at 132), Thornton Fractional North’s Alex Jackson (15-0 at 195) and Crete-Monee’s Vincente Arebalo (18-2 at 285). Hillcrest had seven sectional qualifiers.

Brother Rice – St. Rita Regional champions 

No. 16 Brother Rice dominated the competition by winning six titles and having 13 sectional qualifiers to score 242 points to win the St. Rita Regional title in Chicago over the hosts, who took second place with 160 points and Evergreen Park was third with 144 points.

Top performers for coach Jan Murzyn’s first-place Crusaders were champions Bobby Conway (23-5 at 120), Al Perez (21-6 at 138), Charles Connolly (17-10 at 152), Nate Chirillo (13-3 at 160), Tom Bennett (24-1 at 170) and Gabino Perez (20-6 at 195). This is the program’s second-straight regional title and fourth in six seasons.

St. Rita had eight sectional qualifiers and four title winners, Austin Dangles (14-7 at 113), Griffin Duffin (16-6 at 126), Sean Larkin (20-7 at 132) and Isaac Gaytan-Reilly (12-8 at 145). Evergreen Park qualified seven and had three champions, Johan Bonnilla (5-3 at 106), James Williams (25-5 at 182) and Eduardo Antunez (22-6 at 220). Bremen’s Eric Perez-Nava (21-3 at 285) was the other first-place finisher. Although it had no champions, Richards also advanced seven to the sectional.

Sycamore Individual Sectional & Washington Dual Team Sectional 

Rock Island – United Township Regional champions

In a regional featuring several top teams, sixth-ranked Rock Island scored 213 points to finish ahead of seventh-ranked Geneseo, who scored 196.5 points, to claim first place in the United Township Regional in East Moline. No. 24 Freeport (141), No. 20 Rochelle (129.5) and No. 25 Galesburg (123.5) also competed in the event.

Winning titles for coach Joel Stockwell’s champion Rocks, who had 10 sectional qualifiers, were Truth Vesey (33-5 at 106), Aoci Bernard (43-3 at 138), Steven Marquez (29-5 at 182), Anthony Marquez (33-12 at 195) and Eli Gustafson (29-18 at 285). The program also won a regional title in 2020 and hopes to qualify for its first dual team appearance since 1992, it’s only previous trip to that competition.

Champions for Geneseo, who had nine sectional qualifiers, were Zachary Montez (34-3 at 113), Anthony Montez (40-2 at 160) and Harrison Neumann (32-10 at 170). Winning titles for Freeport, who had eight qualifiers, were Markel Baker (20-0 at 126), Jacob Redington (12-2 at 132) and Tarrone Jackson (21-3 at 152). Also finishing in first place were Galesburg’s Gauge Shipp (36-3 at 120) and Jeremiah Morris (35-3 at 220) and Rochelle’s Caleb Nadig (29-3 at 145), with the latter being one of seven Hubs to qualify.

Joliet Catholic Academy – LaSalle-Peru Regional champion

Top-ranked Joliet Catholic Academy won seven championships and advanced all 14 of its individuals to the title mat to capture the title of the LaSalle-Peru Regional with 254 points, which was 60 points ahead of fourth-ranked Lemont, who scored 194 points to finish in second place. The runner-up Indians won the IHSA Class 2A title in 2020. .

Capturing championships for coach Ryan Cumbee’s first-place Hilltoppers were Gylon Sims (26-4 at 113), Shay Korhorn (12-6 at 120), Logan Kuhel-Trimmer (19-7 at 132), Owen O’Connor (21-9 at 138), Mason Alessio (28-4 at 145), Connor Cumbee (22-14 at 152) and Dillan Johnson (27-0 at 285). The program also won a regional in 2020 and placed third in the IWCOA finals in 2021 and hopes to make its first appearance in the dual team tournament this season.

Lemont had 11 sectional qualifiers and five champions, Sam Schuit (28-7 at 126), Mike Jabaay (20-7 at 160), Alex Tagler (29-3 at 170), Moe Khalil (29-4 at 182) and Tyler Wilms (26-3 at 220).  Also finishing in first place were Ottawa’s Ivan Munoz (11-3 at 106) and LaSalle-Peru’s Connor Lorden (20-1 at 195) . 

Sycamore – Rockford East Regional champions

No. 12 Sycamore had four champions and 11 sectional qualifiers to help it score 168.5 points to capture top honors in the Rockford East Regional while seventh-ranked Aurora Christian was second with 152 points and the host E-Rabs took third place with 144 points.

Claiming first-place finishes for coach Alex Nelson’s champion Spartans were Brayden Peet (38-1 at 152), Gus Cambier (31-5 at 160), Zack Crawford (33-3 at 170) and Gable Carrick (29-9 at 182). The program’s last regional title was in 2019 and they hope to get back to dual team state for the first time since 2013, when they placed third.

No. 13 Aurora Christian, which placed third in 2020, had eight sectional qualifiers and five champions, Deven Casey (25-6 at 106), Joe Fernau (21-5 at 126), Josh Vasquez (19-6 at 132), Taythan Silva (26-7 at 145) and Nate Wemstrom (30-5 at 195). Rockford East had seven qualifiers and four title winners, Peter Young (18-8 at 113), Sam Young (23-7 at 138), Joey Pineda (28-4 at 220) and Lee Smith (20-1 at 285). Burlington Central’s Austin Lee (28-15 at 120) also took first while Kaneland had no champions but qualified seven.

Washington – Washington Regional champion

Second-ranked Washington had nine champions and 14 sectional qualifiers as it rolled to the championship at its own regional by scoring 264.5 points while Morton claimed second place with 139 points and Peoria High was third with 101 points.

Winning titles for coach Nick Miller’s champion Panthers were Peyton Cox (35-2 at 120), Eli Gonzalez (16-15 at 126), Kannon Webster (41-1 at 132), Blake Hinrichsen (31-11 at 160), Zane Hulet (20-14 at 170), Joseph Hoffer (17-16 at 182), Donnie Hidden (20-0 at 195), Tyler Casey (32-3 at 220) and Justin Hoffer (32-7 at 285). This is the eighth-straight regional title for the program and they hope to be back in the state dual team finals for the eighth season in a row and add to their four first-place and two second-place trophies during that run, which includes a runner-up finish in 2020.

Morton had seven sectional qualifiers and three champions, Caleb Lenning (22-11 at 106), Zane Ely (28-7 at 113) and Jamison Almasy (31-12 at 138). Also capturing title wins were Metamora’s Sam Ohl (23-12 at 145) and Dunlap’s Nick Mueller (31-2 at 152).

Deerfield Individual Sectional & Woodstock North Dual Team Sectional

Deerfield – Notre Dame College Prep Regional champions

Third-ranked Deerfield had eight champions and 10 sectional qualifiers to help it capture top honors at the Notre Dame College Prep Regional in Niles with 224 points while the host Dons claimed second place with 195 points and Wheeling was third with 149 points.

Claiming top honors for coach Marc Pechter’s first-place Warriors were Luke Reddy (31-7 at 113), Renzo Morgan (28-9 at 132), Kai Neumark (32-1 at 138), Lucio Morgan (36-3 at 145), Stamos Tsakiris (34-4 at 152), Benjamin Shvartsman (39-0 at 160), Aiden Cohen (38-2 at 170) and Braeden Wittkamp (37-2 at 182). This is the program’s second-straight regional title and fifth since 2015 and they hope to make a third state dual team trip and improve upon a fourth-place showing in their last time there in 2017.

Notre Dame College Prep had 13 sectional qualifiers, including champions Johnny Sheehy (20-16 at 106), Aodan O’Sullivan (33-6 at 220) and Karl Schmalz (29-3 at 285). Wheeling had nine sectional qualifiers, including title winners Jatuthep Rattanahattakul (21-9 at 120), Patrick Tinsley (19-6 at 126) and Erik Giron (19-16 at 195).

Antioch – Grayslake Central Regional champion 

No. 15 Antioch won six titles and qualified 12 for the sectional to easily capture top honors at the Grayslake Central Regional with 216 points, which gave it an 80-point advantage over the host Rams, who scored 136 points.

Leading the way for coach Wilbur Borrero’s champion Sequoits were title winners Edgar Albino (34-1 at 120), Tanner Jurinek (14-18 at 126), Caleb Nobiling (32-5 at 138), Ben Vazquez (30-5 at 145), Evan Vazquez (26-4 at 152) and Briar Russell (20-12 at 220). The program won a regional title for the fourth-straight season and looks for its third state trip during that time with its 2020 visit resulting in a fourth-place trophy.

Grayslake Central got firsts from Anthony Alanis (42-4 at 106), Tyler Weidman (32-13 at 113), Aaron Cramer (41-1 at 170) and Matty Jens (41-1 at 182). Others who won titles were Vernon Hills’ Will Ludolph (21-4 at 160) and Jake Psaras (29-8 at 195), Lake Forest’s Seth Digby (29-5 at 132) and Lakes’ John Sullivan (20-3 at 285).

Crystal Lake Central – Crystal Lake Central Regional champions 

Ninth-ranked Crystal Lake Central claimed top honors in its own regional by qualifying nine individuals and winning five titles to score 205 points, which was well ahead of No. 14 Wauconda, who had 161.5 points while Crystal Lake South took third with 125 points.

Leading coach Justen Lehr’s first-place Tigers were champions Greco Rendon (17-14 at 132), Cayden Parks (25-11 at 145), Connor Lezama (31-12 at 152), Dillon Carlson (37-4 at 160) and Ben Butler (31-12 at 170). This was their first regional title since 2017. The program has won nine regionals and five IHSA trophies in seven state trips under Lehr. 

Also taking first place were Crystal Lake South’s Josh Glover (23-0 at 113), Shane Moran (29-4 at 182) and Andy Burburijia (28-8 at 285). Wauconda, which also had nine sectional qualifiers, got titles from Lucas Galdine (18-3 at 106) and Cole Porten (25-9 at 138). Other champions were Prairie Ridge’s Tyler Evans (31-3 at 120) and Mikey Meade (27-10 at 126), Cary-Grove’s Wade Abrams (19-1 at 195) and Woodstock’s Gavin Loiselle (17-0 at 220).

St. Patrick – Fenton Regional champions 

St. Patrick claimed top honors at the Fenton Regional in Bensenville by scoring 219 points while Fenwick claimed second place in the competition with 188 points and the hosts edged Montini Catholic 155-152 for third place. For more information on the regional, see Gary Larsen’s story, which already appears on the website.

Recording first-place finishes for coach Tom Kelliher’s champion Shamrocks, who had 11 sectional qualifiers, were Olin Walker (33-13 at 113), Niko Karamaniolas (24-12 at 126), Sean Conway (44-1 at 132) and Gio Hernandez (36-11 at 170). This is the program’s fifth regional title since 2015 and they seek their first trip to the dual team finals.

Montini Catholic had seven qualifiers and four champions, Jayden Colon (18-4 at 145), David Mayora (11-3 at 152), Will Prater (11-9 at 160) and Evan Jocic (7-8 at 195). The Broncos failed to win a regional team title for the first time  since 2001.  During that amazing run, they won 15 state titles and were second twice and reached state in all but one year. Fenwick, which had 10 sectional qualifiers, got titles from Tommy Sullivan (22-10 at 138), Conor Parris (25-4 at 182) and Jimmy Liston (30-3 at 285). Others who took first were Elmwood Park’s Jack Dombeck (30-5 at 106) and Schurz’s Majd Hamarsha (6-4 at 120). Although they had no champions, the host Bison qualified nine to the sectional.

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