Coal City rolls to historic ABE’s Rumble championship

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

SPRINGFIELD – It’s very difficult to produce a dominating performance from start to finish at ABE’s Rumble considering that 17 of the state’s top-ranked 1A teams were in attendance, as were 10 other teams that were listed as honorable mention selections by Illinois Best Weekly.

But that’s precisely what defending Class 1A champion Coal City accomplished when it claimed top honors in the competition for the first time since 2022 by capping a 9-0 performance with a 52-21 victory in the finals over Lena-Winslow/ Stockton at Bank of Springfield Center.

Coach Mark Masters’ Coalers nearly achieved the rarely-seen feat of averaging just one loss per dual meet as they only dropped 10 matches. They recorded shutouts in four duals and lost just one match in two others, with one of those being a two-point decision. Seven of their losses came during their final two duals, including four in their title win over coach Kevin Milder’s PantherHawks and the other three were in their 59-14 semifinal victory over Murphysboro.

And to make that performance even more impressive, Coal City turned in that dominating performance without one of its most-accomplished athletes, Brody Widlowski, an IHSA finalist the past two years and a three-time state medalist, who was unable to participate due to illness and Brock Finch, a three-time IHSA medalist, was only able to compete in two matches.

In the last four post-COVID ABE’s Rumbles there had only been two shutouts recorded by champions, one by the Coalers in 2022 and the other by Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in 2021, the last time that it had won the competition. In the previous eight editions of the state’s largest dual team tournament, the champions had averaged 23.88 matches lost.

In many ways, this was a throwback moment for the competition since Coal City and Lena-Winslow/ Stockton met up for the title dual meet in the first three ABE’s Rumbles and then again in 2021 for four of the first five seasons with each team winning two titles in the matchup. 

The PantherHawks, who appeared in the first five title dual meets and won three of them, took third in 2022, seventh in 2023 and tenth last season. This was the Coalers’ tournament-high fourth title, with the others coming in the 2016 inaugural competition, in 2018 and in 2022. It was also the seventh time they reached the finals, only missing out last season and in 2019.

Coal City’s 31-point margin of victory was the biggest in the nine years that the event has been held. When the Coalers won their last previous title in 2022, they beat Riverdale 46-24, which made that the record for largest victory in a title dual meet. 

After winning two more dual meets and then capturing top honors at the Princeton Invitational Tournament this past weekend, the Coalers have a perfect 34-0 record and are top-ranked in 1A while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton is second and the third- and fourth-ranked 1A teams competed for third place, with 2025 1A runner-up Vandalia winning 46-31 over Murphysboro.

Coal City, which won its first IHSA championship in 2023 after capping the 2022 portion of its schedule with an ABE’s Rumble title, hopes to win its third IHSA championship in four years and make its fourth-straight appearance in the Dual Team Finals title meet. The program is one of just four in IHSA history who have won eight state trophies during a 10-season span, with the others being Montini Catholic, Providence Catholic and Washington Community.

The Coalers opened competition in that 16-team Gold bracket with a 76-0 win over Seneca and then they defeated Oregon 71-4 in the quarterfinals. The team only had three losses to that point and then lost three in their 59-14 semifinals win over Murphysboro and then dropped four more matches in the title dual meet. The only time that they trailed during the two days was in the championship finals against Lena-Winslow/ Stockton when the PantherHawks won three in a row to grab a brief 16-9 advantage five matches in.

Coal City defeated Orion 81-0, Knoxville 77-4, Anna-Jonesboro 78-3 and Cumberland 78-0 to win pool K and then won 83-0 over Shelbyville to advance to the Gold bracket.

“We were really dominant here,” Masters said. “It surprised me a little bit at how we overwhelmed teams. I wasn’t sure who we were going to get in the finals. I knew how good Lena is, and I know how good Vandalia is. So it was just like, looking at it on paper, and are we picking odds or evens with the matchups that we want. And we were able to get that with Lena, and we just wrestled lights out. Noah Houston, who came out and beat a kid that was undefeated there at 75, battled really hard. At 215, you’re in a scramble in triple overtime and you get pinned, Our lineup was sharp all weekend. We were missing Widlowski and Finch with the flu. It was just an adversity that we overcame. Like I said, the standards and expectations are so high. The kids are holding themselves to the next man up. There’s an injury or an illness, who’s next? You’ve got to fill a spot. You’ve got to do your job. If your job is to stay off your back, that’s what you do, and everybody understands that.” 

Leading the way for champion Coal City, who is coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Mark Masters, were Max Christensen (8-0 at 144/150), Mason Garner (8-0 at 165/175), Aidan Kenney (8-0 at 157/165), Cooper Morris (8-0 at 132/138), Jake Munsterman (8-0 at 106/113), Owen Petersen (8-0 at 126/132), Noah Houston (7-0 at 165/175), Brody D’Orazio (4-0 at 190/215), Jason Piatak (4-0 at 120/126) and Brock Finch (2-0 at 175). 

Other top Coalers were Cade Poyner (7-1 at 215), Roberto Rodriguez (6-1 at 144/150), Ryder Gill (5-1 at 106/113), Evan Greggain (5-1 at 190), Alex Carlson (3-1 at 150/157), Gavin Roudis (3-1 at 113), Tyson Price (7-2 at 120/126) and Payton Vigna (7-2 at 285)

“It was a great tournament and the whole team came out and showed what we do, dominate,” Morris said. “We’re just staying focused in between each dual, like when we’re not wrestling, just locking in, just resting, and doing whatever we can to get ready for our next match. With a strong lineup going top to bottom, there’s not going to be any matches where you’re so iffy on if you think we’ll win or not. Top to bottom, we’ve got hammers throughout the lineup, so win after win after win. (Likes about his team) Just that we’re a whole family, that we go through it together, the hard practices, the team bonding, the hotels, everything. We just have so much fun with each other. We grew up together wrestling with Lil’ Coalers and Joe Widlowski, and it just started from there.”

Top performers for the runner-up PantherHawks, who are coached by 2020 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Milder, were Arrison Bauer (9-0 at 144/190), Eli Larson (9-0 at 190), Jeremiah Luke (8-0 at 285), Oliver McPeek (8-0 at 215), Mauricio Glass (6-3 at 138/144), Carson Hill (6-3 at 113), Reece Demeter (5-3 at 150), Mark Detwiler (5-3 at 165), Keller Otto (5-4 at 120) and Brandon White (5-4 at 126).

“I would say we definitely surprised some people with how we came out and made it to the finals,” Bauer said. “A lot of people had us losing to Vandalia, but we were able to beat them. It felt good to be able to battle Coal City again at Abe’s because we haven’t gotten to it in two years. Our team fell off a little but now I’d say we’re back. Everybody is always pushing on each other and getting better each day. (What he likes about his team) Probably how close we are all together.”

In the championship dual, Lena-Winslow/Stockton grabbed a 16-9 lead through the first five matches but that’s when Coal City used a run of six-straight victories that featured three pins, a win by technical fall and two major decisions to build up a 40-16 advantage and then won two of the final three matches to capture a 52-21 victory. 

Garner got things started for the Coalers in the title dual meet when he won by fall in 2:55 over Detwiler at 165 and then Houston captured a 3-2 decision over John Mensendike to make it 9-0. But the PantherHawks won the next three matches as Larson got a win by technical fall over Greggain, McPeek won over Poyner in a wild match at 215 that was tied at 16-16 before McPeek finally prevailed with a fall in 7:30 and then Luke captured a victory by technical fall over Vigna to give Lena-Winslow/ Stockton a seven-point lead through the first five matches.

“We definitely surprised a lot of people, kind of surprised ourselves almost a little bit,” Larson said. “We went in thinking Chicago Hope was going to be really tough and then we ended up beating them by a lot, which was really nice. I knew that we were going to have a chance to beat Vandalia, and kind of the way it played out, it worked out super well and we were able to win. We all have our individual goals, and it only helps the team goal when we have those because we’re just pushing each other at practice every day, and everybody’s getting better from it. (Likes about his team) I’d say how close we are. We’re always hanging out all together, there’s just big groups of us hanging out all the time. So it’s definitely how close we are.”

The Coalers won the next six matches to take control for good as Gill won by fall in 0:41 over Reece Hartzell at 106, Jake Munsterman followed with a 15-7 major decision over Hill and Price made it 24-16 with a win by technical fall over Otto at 120.

Petersen captured a 15-5 major decision over White, Morris won by fall in 1:16 over Huntlee Burris at 132 and Luke Munsterman capped the decisive run by recording a pin in 4:35 over Glass to make it 40-16 with three matches remaining.

“Our team just performed really well throughout the weekend,” Luke Munsterman said. “We were scoring bonus points every dual. I think every dual is 50 and above for a team score, which is really nice. And we just showed up and performed. I’d like to thank Joe Widlowski with Lil’ Coalers because we’ve all been wrestling since we were five or six years old, so big thanks to him. (What he likes about his team) Just the determination and just the will to be the best.”

Bauer collected his team’s final victory at 144 with a win by technical fall over Rodriguez before Christensen got a pin in 2:36 over Demeter and Kenney closed out the championship victory with a pin in 1:18 over Sam Sikora at 157.

In their 59-14 semifinal win over Murphysboro, the Coalers opened with five-straight wins to jump out to a 27-0 advantage. The Red Devils won three of the next four matches to close to within 33-14, but then Coal City sealed the deal with another run of five-consecutive victories.

Kenney opened with a fall in 0:59 over Haegan Hughes at 157, Garner followed with a 12-7 decision over Maxon Stearns and Houston got a pin in 2:38 over Joel Carrington at 175. Greggain added a fall in 1:50 over Logan Tanner and Poyner capped the early run with a pin in 1:02 over Caybren Hubbard.

Julien Tanner gave Murphysboro its first win at 285 with an 8-2 decision over Vigna. After Jake Munsterman won by fall in 1:49 over Griffin Diehl, the Red Devils received a win by technical fall from Drevan Bramlett over Gill and then Paxton Pyatt got his team’s final victory by recording a fall in 5:22 over Price at 120.

Petersen began the final streak of five wins when he claimed a 12-5 decision over Sergio Garcia and then Morris got a pin in 2:56 over Jackson Graff and Luke Munsterman added another fall in 2:56 over Jeret Edwards at 138. Christensen also got a pin in 2:19 over Lemar Treshansky and Rodriguez closed out the victory at 150 with a win by technical fall over Ben Chaundy. 

“Our team dominates and that’s what we’re striving for,” Poyner said. “Every single guy in our lineup is tough, it’s really nice. So we’ve all been wrestling together since we were four or five, and we’ve grown up together. We’re all like brothers, so that’s how we’re treated. I mean, we go through the same suffering, the same pain. We all have the same determination, the drive to win. We just want to dominate.”

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton advanced to the Gold bracket with a 70-3 victory over Robinson. After opening the Gold bracket with a 48-30 win over Roxana, it defeated Olympia 36-31 in the quarterfinals and Vandalia 37-30 in the semifinals. 

The PantherHawks won eight matches against Vandalia but trailed 30-28 with two matches left and got a narrow decision from Glass to put them up and then Bauer recorded a fall in the finale to wrap up the victory and assure the program’s first trip to the ABE’s Rumble title dual meet since they last won the competition in 2021, which they did with a 43-33 win over Coal City.

The Vandals opened the semifinal dual meet with Zayne Zinkgraf winning a 12-3 major decision over Sikora at 157 and Dillon Hinton followed with a 14-4 major decision over Detwiler.

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton won the next four matches to take an 18-8 lead as Mensendike won by fall in 0:57 over Noah Langston at 175 and Larson recorded a pin in 0:29 over Zayvion Stout. McPeek followed with a 4-0 decision over Ross Miller at 215 and Luke completed the four-match run by capturing a 1-0 decision over Dominic Swyers.

The sides traded pins with Vandalia’s Kaden Daughtery winning over Hartzell in 0:26 at 106 and Hill countering with a fall in 0:38 over Cooper Galoway. Vandalia then forced a tie at 24-24 as Aiden Evans won by technical fall over Otto at 120 and Preston Waughtel also got a victory by technical fall over White. 

Burris put the PantherHawks back in front at 28-24 when he claimed a 17-6 major decision over Robert McCoy at 132 but the Vandals regained the lead at 30-28 after Max Philpot received a forfeit win. Glass put Lena-Winslow/ Stockton back in front for good when he won a 5-3 decision over Brody Matthews at 144 and Bauer ended the drama with a pin in 1:50 over Dade Kleinik.

“We’re really excited about coming down to this tournament and going against these good teams like Vandalia and Coal City,” Mensendike said. “We knew Vandalia when we had to go against them since we knew they were finalists. Eli came up to me, he’s like, ‘I think we got this one.’ And so we pulled it together, and we scored, we pinned them over and over, and we won that. And going to the finals against Coal City, we knew it was going to be really close in the beginning, and we were fighting for every single point and we tried. We’ve got a lot of new freshmen coming in that are pretty good. So they’ll take care of our lightweights. And us heavyweights can just keep going because we had five finalists from last year return.”

The PantherHawks used consecutive wins from Detwiler, Mensendike, Larson, McPeek and Luke to grab a 24-7 lead midway through the meet. But the Spartans answered with a five-win run of their own as Connor Collins, Brandon Gaither, Ryan Ballinger, Tucker Garey and Carter Knoblach all claimed victories to give their team a 31-24 advantage with two matches left. 

Lena-Winslow/ Stockton got a pin from Glass over Kenzer Burrell in 2:48 and then a fall from Bauer in 0:46 over Colby Maness in the final match at 144 to earn its spot in the semifinals. 

In pool L, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton claimed wins of 68-11 over Tremont, 54-18 over Chicago Hope Academy, 59-18 over Pontiac and 76-6 over Prairie Central. They had four losses against Chicago Hope Academy, three to Pontiac, two against Tremont and one to Prairie Central.

“I was extremely pleased with the kids’ day and super proud of our effort all over these two days,” Milder said. “The kids wrestled hard and competed. The competition here is always tough and we made it to the final. And hats off to a great Coal City team, they are the real deal. But I was very happy with our kids these last two days. In the Vandalia match, where we lost, we weren’t giving up the bonus points. We didn’t get pinned, we didn’t get tech’ed and we didn’t give up majors and that’s huge. And then we had a chance there at the end to make a little move in the lineup to better our chances. But our kids up to that point gave us that opportunity to do that. It was a great team victory in the semifinal.”

This was the ninth ABE’s Rumble in the past 10 seasons, with no tournament being held in December 2020 due to the pandemic. It’s progressed from 688 athletes on 42 teams in 2016 to 915 individuals representing 60 schools in the most recent competition.

PORTA coach Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins with 826 entering this season and a 2025 recipient of a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter, is proud to serve as co-host of Illinois’ largest in-season tournament, along with Auburn coach Matt Grimm. And he’s grateful to the many individuals who help out each year, as well as the Springfield high schools, the City of Springfield and the Bank of Springfield Center, where ABE’s Rumble has been held since its first tournament in 2016.

“There’s a lot of planning that goes into it,” Hill said. “So once the event starts to kick off, we’ve got people in place so that I can actually coach and enjoy and watch wrestling. Our hospitality room people, they have to feed 250 people for five meals. You know, that alone is a job, that’s an arduous task. And we have two people that knock it out of the park, and everybody says how great the food is. And then, we have our scorers and timers. Mike Urwin from IKWF helps us out, and that’s priceless. Anything computer-wise, we’re good to go. And the Springfield schools let us use their mats and that makes a big difference. It’s a perfect wrestling facility and the convention center and the Town of Springfield treats us really well and they help us and they ask us what they can do to make it a better event for us.

“Pretty much if you are anybody in Class A in Illinois, you want to come to ABE’s Rumble. And it’s great because you’ve got people from as far south as Vandalia, Lawrenceville and Anna-Jonesboro and you go all the way up north to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Byron. If you want to see somebody, at least see what they look like and how they wrestle, this is the opportunity to do it. We’ve got a wait list of about 12 teams and, you know, people want in. Matt Grimm is my co-host of this and he has his jobs, and I have my jobs, and we work excellently together. I don’t think we ever say a cross-word at each other. We look at each other funny every once in a while. Talk about another legend from the area starting an Auburn program and getting it to where it’s been so quick.”

3rd place – Vandalia 46, Murphysboro 31

Vandalia, the defending champions at ABE’s Rumble who fell a bit short to Coal City in last year’s IHSA Class 1A Dual Team Finals, got a run for its money in the third-place dual meet as Murphysboro, who also qualified for the Dual Team Finals last season, took a 20-point lead with six matches left, but the Vandals got victories in each of those matches to claim a 46-31 victory.

Leading the way for coach Pat Myers’ runner-up Vandals were Max Philpot (9-0 at 132/138), Dillon Hinton (8-0 at 157/165), Elijah Mabry (7-0 at 144), Preston Waughtel (6-0 at 126), Zayne Zinkgraf (6-0 at 150/157), Dylan Blain (3-0 at 138/144), Kaden Daughtery (6-1 at 106/113), Dade Kleinik (6-1 at 150/157), Brody Matthews (6-1 at 138/144), Corbon Meyers (5-1 at 165), Ross Miller (6-2 at 190/215), Dominic Swyers (6-3 at 285) and Noah Langston (5-4 at 175).

Myers is in his first season as Vandalia’s head coach as the former assistant takes over for Jason Clay, who stepped down after last year’s second-place finish to Coal City to focus on becoming the school’s principal in the 2026-2027 school year. The 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee won 504 dual meets, qualified 15 teams for the IHSA Dual Team Finals and had six teams win state trophies, highlighted by second-place finishes in 2025, 2018 and 2007, his first season as head coach. He still serves as Vandalia’s athletic director and head football coach.

“Yes, I’m definitely very excited,” Hinton said. “I love these guys and some new faces, too. Good to see others breaking through the lineup, so I think that’ll be good. Third place at Abe’s is pretty good. You know, obviously we want to be in that finals match because we think we can compete there. But, you know, it’s coming together, we’re going to figure it out. I miss coach Clay, but I think coach Myers is doing an absolutely wonderful job.”

Some of the top performers for coach Shea Baker’s fourth-place Red Devils were Julien Tanner (9-0 at 285), Griffin Diehl (8-1 at 106), Caybren Hubbard (8-1 at 215), Paxton Pyatt (8-1 at 120), Maxon Stearns (8-1 at 165/175), Drevan Bramlett (5-1 at 113), Nick Christopher (3-1 at 175), Sergio Garcia (5-2 at 126/132), Lemar Treshansky (6-3 at 144/150), Jeret Edwards (5-3 at 138) and Logan Tanner (5-3 at 190).

“We did really good last year and we’re elevated for this year, too,” Pyatt said. “We faced multiple highly-ranked teams this tournament with Vandalia being one of our tougher teams and how well we all wrestled against them just really proves us. Just to be able to fight like that. I like how we’re all connected and how we all support each other. No matter if we win or lose, we’re all there to support each other and raise each other up.”

In the third-place dual meet, Murphysboro used a run of five-straight victories to win six of the first eight matches and that allowed it to grab a decisive 31-11 advantage. But the Vandals responded to the challenge and won the final six matches to capture a 46-31 victory.

Hinton opened with a pin in 3:28 over Patrick Dover at 165 and Stearns followed with a win by technical fall over Langston. The Vandals built their lead to 11-5 following a victory by technical fall from Miller over Tanner at 190.

That’s when the Red Devils began their five-match winning streak that started when Hubbard won by fall in 0:38 over Jeffrey Smith at 215, Tanner followed with a pin in 3:04 over Swyers and Diehl won a 14-5 major decision over Daughtery at 106 to give Murphysboro a 21-11 lead.

“(Coach) Baker is leading us all in the right direction, being strategic with the duals, competing with some teams that were very tough and getting to where we need to be,” Tanner said. “I’m grateful to be here wrestling and it’s always good. I feel like this is a tournament that I look forward to because I’m wrestling the best of the best, even just in my pool, I had some really tough kids. I think it’s everybody’s drive to get better every day. We’ve got coach Baker who gives us a great practice plan, and he’s always pushing us to be better. I feel like how our team pushes each other to get better. I think that it’s important to have a group full of guys like that that want to win more than anything else.”

Bramlett got a forfeit win at 113 and Pyatt claimed a 19-6 major decision over Aiden Evans at 120 to expand the advantage to 20 points. However, Waughtel started the Vandals’ closing run of six-straight wins with a win by technical fall over Garcia at 126 and Philpot followed with a pin in 2:26 over Jackson Graff to narrow the gap to 31-22 and Matthews added a fall in 4:14 over Jeret Edwards at 138 to pull Vandalia to within three points with three matches remaining.

“(Falling just short of a state title last year) It makes us want to train harder and gives us things to improve on,” Waughtel said. “Any time any of our teammates lose, we always have their back, no matter what. It’s just a great team out here. (What he likes about his team) I would just say how close we are. With me being a transfer, I was frowned upon from all the other teams. But they definitely took us in under their arm.”

Mabry won by fall in 0:49 over Treshansky at 144 to put the Vandals up for good at 34-31 and then Zinkgraf pinned Jace Witzman in 1:51 and Kleinik wrapped up the come-from-behind victory by recording a fall in 1:13 over Haegan Hughes in the final dual meet at 157.

The Vandals advanced to the Gold bracket with a 75-6 victory over Tremont and won 58-16 over Canton in its next meet. They won six of the first seven matches to help them defeat PORTA 56-14 in the quarterfinals before losing 37-30 to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in the semifinals after the PantherHawks won a two-point decision and recorded a fall in the final two matches.. 

Vandalia claimed wins of 56-23 over Mt. Zion, 78-0 over Quincy Notre Dame, 60-18 over Morrison and 83-0 over Illini Bluffs in pool F.

“It definitely makes us a lot better at wrestling these good wrestlers,” said Philpot about competing at ABE’s Rumble. “I don’t think we’re at our full potential yet. We definitely have a lot more training and a lot more getting better to do. I think everyone’s unique in their own way, and it just makes everything so much fun, and we’re willing to put in the work whenever it’s due.” 

The Red Devils earned their spot in the Gold bracket with a 58-10 win over Sherrard and then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 57-13 victory over Unity. There they had a tough dual with Oakwood/ Salt Fork, seeing a 30-14 lead narrow to 30-21 with four matches left before Garcia won a 16-4 major decision over Pedro Alberto Rangel at 126 and Graff added an 11-2 major decision over Jase Edrington in the final contested match to help them claim a 38-33 victory.

Murphysboro went 4-0 to claim first place in pool H as it claimed wins of 61-18 over Monticello, 73-5 over Erie/ Prophetstown, 60-17 over Camp Point Central and 55-14 over Canton. 

“We think we can make it back up there again and hopefully place this year,” Stearns said. “We faced some really great teams like Coal City, the number one-ranked team, and number two- ranked Vandalia. (What he likes about his team) We all grew up together and we’re all really tight. And we always help each other.”

5th place – Oakwood/ Salt Fork 41, Olympia 29

The fifth-place dual meet was very much up for grabs after Olympia claimed a 24-21 lead over Oakwood/ Salt Fork with just five matches remaining. But that’s when the Comets used a run  of four-straight victories to score the next 20 points to help them capture a 41-29 victory.

Leading the way for coach Mike Glosser’s fifth-place Comets were Jamison Chambliss (9-0 at 190/215), Devin Ehler (9-0 at 138/144), Steven Uden (9-0 at 113), Mason Swartz (8-0 at 132/138), Weston Frazier (8-1 at 120), Tyler Huchel (8-1 at 144/150), Keagan Leclaire (7-2 at 157/165), Emmett Grimm (6-3 at 215/285) and Pedro Alberto Rangel (6-3 at 126/132).

“This is the highest we’ve placed in school history, we’ve never placed higher than seventh,” Uden said. “This team’s super, super special. All these guys go out there and just give it their all. I mean, we have a whole bunch of first years that laid it on the line. I just feel like everybody,  they just think more of the team than of themselves. It’s not like a one-man show. Everybody’s going out there to save team points if they’re going to lose or go out there to get extra points. Just throughout youth wrestling, everybody knows everyone, and I feel like that’s why we’re so good because we train with the same people over and over and over again. I haven’t experienced a team state yet, so hopefully we can make it there this year.”

Top performers for coach Josh Collins’ sixth-place Spartans, who advanced to the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals last season, were Kaden Collins (9-0 at 157), Tucker Garey (9-0 at 126), Connor Collins (8-1 at 106/113), Darian Holloway (8-1 at 285), Brandon Gaither (7-1 at 113/120), Austin Kisner (7-2 at 150), Ryan Ballinger (6-1 at 120), Caleb Peters (6-2 at 190), Carter Knobloch (6-3 at 132), Kenzer Burrell (5-4 at 138/144) and Isaac Warnock (5-4 at 175).

“I feel really good about how our team did today,” Connor Collins said. “We definitely proved to everyone else that we’re definitely a top-six team. We’re very talented all across the board, and we’re a very strong team. We’re definitely all together in it, so it makes it a lot easier because everyone’s cutting weight together, and it’s not just one person doing one thing at a time, so it’s everyone at once, everyone together. We’re all friends, and we’re really close, like at school and everything, and it helps out with the team a lot, so that’s what I like about the team.”

After Kayden Thomas (165) and Warnock (175) opened with falls for Olympia, Chambliss (190) and Grimm (215) answered with pins to make it 12-12. Holloway put the Spartans back up following a pin at 285 but Oakwood/ Salt Fork moved back in front at 21-18 after Uden got past Connor Collins 2-1 by sudden victory at 113 and Frazier won by injury default over Gaither and then Olympia took the lead one final time at 24-21 when Garey got a pin at 126.

The Comets answered with a pin by Rangel and then a victory by technical fall from Swartz at 138 to make it 32-24 and then Ehler added another pin and Huchel edged Kisner 5-4 at 150 to end the drama prior to Kaden Collins getting a win by technical fall in the finale.

“We’re wrestling pretty well,” Kaden Collins said “I feel like we finally got our lineup where it is and all of our guys are pretty healthy and I think we’re wrestling really well right now. I think that we have the ability to place, if not win it. We proved here that we could be a top-five team, top-six team. I just think a few more things, a few more matches would have gone our way. We would have been up there with Coal City today. I just think we’re all really good friends and it’s like brotherhood. We can just be ourselves around each other and it’s just fun to be here.”

Oakwood/ Salt Fork earned its spot in the 16-team Gold bracket with a 50-30 victory over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth co-op. Then it beat Rockridge 53-29 to advance to the quarterfinals, where it was edged 38-33 by Murphysboro. It advanced to the fifth-place meet with a 44-27 victory over Oregon.

The Comets took first place in pool C by winning 59-21 over Beardstown, 38-36 over Roxana, 57-21 over El Paso-Gridley and 61-18 over Stillman Valley.

“Yeah, this tournament’s awesome,” Swartz said. “It’s always a good time and we look forward to it every year. So much improvement from our guys. I mean, not that we were bad to start the year, but I’ve just seen so much progress already, and our coaches are pushing us every day. This program’s awesome. I mean, it’s just such a team family. Everyone’s there for each other no matter the circumstance. It’s like a team full of brothers.”

Olympia advanced to the Gold bracket with a 62-18 win over Byron and followed that with a 57-21 victory over Monticello to reach the quarterfinals. After falling 36-31 to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton in the quarterfinals, it rallied late to capture a 39-36 victory over PORTA. 

The Spartans finished first in pool G by defeating Mercer County 68-11, Auburn/ Pawnee 56-15, St. Joseph-Ogden 57-17 and Mt. Carmel 70-6.

“I think it was a pretty fun two days,” Knoblach said. “We felt pretty good coming in. It was nice having our full lineup, finally. You really experience coming back from hard losses or close matches. The close duals where it’s just one match away and having to come back and just dominate the next team. I really like that we suffer all together, and when one person loses, we feel that. When one person wins, we feel that. We celebrate together. When we win, we win. When we lose, we lose together.”

7th place – Oregon 45, PORTA 35

Oregon overcame an early large deficit by getting six victories in a row, which included three pins and a win by technical fall, to claim a 45-35 win over PORTA for seventh place.

Leading the way for coach Justin Lahman’s seventh-place Hawks, who qualified for the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals in 2025, were Josiah Perez (9-0 at 120), Nelson Benesh (8-1 at 138/144). Carson Benesh (6-1 at 132/138), Kayden Cover (6-2 at 106), Isaiah Perez (6-2 at 126), Jordan Lowe (6-3 at 113), Jack Benesh (4-2 at 132/138), Jayden Berry (5-3 at 150/157) and Jackson Messenger (5-4 at 144/150).

Oregon placed first in pool J by winning 63-12 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 45-24 over Seneca, 54-25 over Hoopeston Area/ Milford and 57-24 over Robinson. It advanced to the Gold bracket with a 48-28 victory over Mt. Zion before defeating Reed-Custer 45-34 to advance to the quarterfinals, where it fell 71-4 to eventual champion Coal City. The Hawks also lost 44-27 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork before meeting up with PORTA for seventh place.

Top performers for the eighth-place Bluejays, who are coached by Jeff Hill, the state’s all-time leader in dual meet wins and a 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter, were Zach Bryant (7-1 at 144/150), Justin Zimmerman (7-1 at 165/175), Coyt Radamaker (6-1 at 106), Jaxen Feagans (6-2 at 138), Logan Baker (6-2 at 157/ 165), Jamarian Thomas (6-2 at 157/165) and Kainin Fillbright (5-2 at 120).

In the seventh-place meet, the Bluejays got pins from Baker, Dylan Yocum and Radamaker, a win by technical fall from Jayden Minor and a forfeit victory from Zimmerman to build up a 29-6 advantage through the first six matches. 

But the Hawks answered with pins from Lowe, Isaiah Perez and Carson Benesh, a win by technical fall from Jack Benesh, a victory by injury default for Nelson Benesh and a major decision from Josiah Perez to grab a 39-29 lead with two matches remaining. Bryant got a pin to pull PORTA to within four points but Berry responded with a fall to secure the win for Oregon.

“I think we performed really good today as a team,” Josiah Perez said. “We were all together as one. No one was really down on themselves and everybody was lifting each other up. We were all supportive of each other. As our coaches say, for the last day and the last couple of duals, it’s whoever wants it more is what we say. And that’s the attitude we go out with on the mat. (What he likes about his team) A lot of the memories. Some of us goof around a little bit, that creates memories and gets us together as a team. (Having three sets of brothers on their team) It puts a lot of chemistry in the team, especially for the kids who even grew up together.”

PORTA, who co-ops with A-C Central, Greenview and Havana, took first in pool A by winning 38-37 over Marquette Academy, 56-22 over Riverdale, 43-36 over Benton and 58-12 over Sacred Heart-Griffin. It defeated Mercer County 57-24 to advance to the Gold bracket and then got a fall from Feagans in the last match to claim a 40-35 win over Newman Central Catholic. The Bluejays fell to Vandalia 56-14 and Olympia 39-36 in their next two dual meets.

“We’re pretty solid,” Hill said, “We have about nine or 10 kids that are really top end and then we have some good filler weights that make us a good dual meet team. As long as we do our homework and we move our weights around, we can be competitive with about anybody.” 

9th place – Reed-Custer 42, Canton 38

Reed-Custer opened with four falls and won six of the first seven matches of the ninth-place dual meet to build up a 36-6 advantage and that helped it to claim a 42-38 triumph over Canton, who captured victories in six of the last seven matches.  

Some of the top performers for coach Yale Davis’ ninth-place Comets were Dominic Alaimo (8-1 at 215), Colton Drinkwine (8-1 at 113), Christian Mounts (7-2 at 285), Jayden Sanchez (7-2 at 132/138), Aiden Shultz (7-2 at 190), Cole Harris (6-3 at 120), Reed Newbrough (6-3 at 165), Kaaden Wood (6-3 at 126), Rylan West (5-3 at 138/144), Collin Bryant (5-4 at 106) and Nathan Vogler (5-4 at 175).

Reed-Custer beat Benton 46-32 to reach the Gold bracket but in its first dual meet there, it lost 45-34 to Oregon. The Comets followed that with a 57-21 victory over Seneca and then edged Unity 38-37, its second win over the Rockets in two days, to advance to the ninth-place meet. The Comets claimed first place in pool D after winning 61-14 over Litchfield, 52-29 over Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 67-8 over Farmington/ Cuba and 45-33 over Unity.

“My team’s getting really better since last year,” Sanchez said. “We were also good last year, but this year is completely different. Getting ranked 15th last year and then going down to number nine. It’s just being there for your team, always being a teammate. When you have a bad match, always move on from that match. Focus on that match for a little bit, worry about what you did wrong for, like, a couple of minutes, and then move on. (What he likes about his team) You never know what’s going to happen, that’s pretty much it. You could say we’re going to lose against some team, but you never know. We always pick it back up.”

Leading the way for coach Zach Crawford’s Little Giants were Dyllan Steele (5-0 at 120), Jaxsun Owens (3-0 at 120), Connor Williams (8-1 at 285), Alex Carrier (7-2 at 157), Jacob Hardesty (7-2 at 132), Daniel Kees (7-2 at 165), Maddux Steele (6-2 at 126), Ayden Stewart (6-3 at 144) and Jireh Hedges (5-4 at 138).

Canton followed up on taking second in pool H to Murphysboro by beating Morrison 50-28 to compete in the Gold bracket. After suffering a 58-16 defeat to Vandalia, it won 41-33 over Newman Central Catholic and 45-34 over Roxana to earn its spot in the ninth-place dual meet. 

11th place – Roxana 54, Unity 27

Roxana strung together five-straight falls to help it build up a 36-12 advantage midway through the the 11th-place dual meet and it went to capture a 54-27 victory over Unity. 

Coach Rob Milazzo’s 11th-place Shells received good performances from Brandon Green, Jr. (9-0 at 138/144), Mason Crump (3-0 at 190), Logan Riggs (8-1 at 150/157), Trey Skelton (8-1 at 113), Lyndon Thies (8-1 at 175/190), Robert Horton (7-2 at 215), Mason Davis (6-3 at 106), Cy Courtney (5-3 at 285) and Brayden Hendrix (5-4 at 120).

Roxana took second place in pool C after falling 38-36 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork. It advanced to the Gold bracket with a 46-35 triumph over Marquette Academy but lost its next dual 48-30 to the eventual runner-up in the competition, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton. After defeating Monticello 47-34, it lost 45-34 to Canton to send it to the 11th-place dual meet with Unity.

Some of the leaders for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets were Josh Heath (8-1 at 165/175), AJ Daly (7-2 at 138), Devin Glik (7-2 at 150/157), Hayden Smith (7-2 at 144), Abram Davidson (6-3 at 165/175), Ben Mullins (6-3 at 150/157) and Adam Wolken (5-4 at 113/120).

Unity, who claimed fourth place at the IHSA 1A Dual Team Finals last season, finished second in pool D to Reed-Custer. The Rockets earned their spot in the Gold bracket by rallying for a 37-34 victory over Chicago Hope Academy. After falling 57-13 to eventual fourth-place finisher Murphysboro, the Rockets beat Rockridge 42-33 and then fell for the second time in two days to Reed-Custer, with the last meeting being a 38-37 defeat.

13th place – Rockridge 43, Newman Central Catholic 36

Rockridge recorded falls in two of the last three matches to help it claim a 43-36 victory over Newman Central Catholic in the 13th-place dual meet.

Leading the way for coach Lucas Smith’s 13th-place Rockets were Nate Lower (9-0 at 106), Ryan Lower (9-0 at 165), Noah Behr (8-1 at 120), Clayton Blumenstein (8-1 at 132), Tanner McKeag (7-2 at 285), Thomas Sowards (7-2 at 157) and Klay Goodnight (6-3 at 144).

Rockridge took first in pool B by winning 56-23 over Byron, 40-35 over Hillsboro, 38-33 over Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth and 54-30 over Clifton Central and advanced to the Gold bracket with a 46-34 victory over Cumberland. It fell 53-29 to Oakwood/ Salt Fork and 42-33 to Unity in its next two duals before beating Seneca 60-24 and then Newman Central Catholic.

Top performers for coach Brody Ivey’s Comets were Landon Blanton (8-0 at 132), Landon Near (8-0 at 113), Zhyler Hansen (7-1 at 126), Matthew Blackert (4-1 at 175/190), Matthew Clemen (7-2 at 190/215), Tyler Grennan (7-2 at 106), Josiah Lewis (7-2 at 150), Timothy Plote (5-2 at 175), Mathew Murray (4-2 at 285), Javen Reyes (6-3 at 120), Aiden Volz (6-3 at 138) and Ayden Gutierrez (5-4 at 165).

Newman Central Catholic took first in pool I by getting wins of 48-24 over Sherrard, 55-16 over LeRoy/ Tri-Valley, 39-35 over Lawrence County and 65-6 over Macomb and earned a spot in the Gold bracket with a 64-12 triumph over Frankfort/ Christopher. After falling to PORTA 40-35 with a defeat in the final match, it lost 41-33 following a late rally by Canton. The Comets beat Monticello 64-4 before meeting up with Rockridge for 13th place.

15th place – Monticello 48, Seneca 35

Monticello faced a 24-12 deficit against Seneca following the first four matches of the 15th-place dual meet but it won five of the last six matches to capture a 48-35 victory.

Top performers for coach Andy Moore’s 15th-place Sages were Nick Litchfield (6-2 at 132), Zach Perry (4-2 at 157/165), Will Osborne (6-3 at 144), Maddox Utley (5-3 at 175/190), Kellan Lamb (5-4 at 126), Max Sinkosky (5-4 at 175/190) and Drake Weeks (5-4 at 150/157).

Monticello earned its spot in the Gold bracket with a 42-34 win over Princeton. Then it lost to Olympia, Roxana and Newman Central Catholic before getting a victory in its finale.

Leading the way for coach Todd Yegge’s Fighting Irish were Chase Rod (6-0 at 150), Landen Venecia (7-1 at 190), Raiden Terry (4-1 at 120/126), Colton Angeloff (7-2 at 215), Gunner Varland (4-2 at 157/165) and Landyn Ramsey (5-4 at 285).

Seneca reached the Gold bracket with a 47-27 win over Lawrence County but ran into eventual champion Coal City in its next dual and also fell to Reed-Custer and Rockridge.

Silver Bracket

Marquette Academy defeated Chicago Hope Academy 48-26 in the first-place dual meet in the Silver bracket. Leaders for Marquette Academy were Wesley Janick (9-0 at 120), Reily Leifheit (9-0 at 165/175), Alex Schaefer (9-0 at 215/285), Koby Clark (8-1 at 132), Connor Eggers (7-2 at 113), Dakota Harmon (7-2 at 106), Logan Huenfeld (7-2 at 126), Brysen Manly (5-3 at 157/165) and Beau Thompson (5-4 at 138/144). Top performers for Chicago Hope Academy were Dylan Galvez (9-0 at 157), Arkail Griffin (175/190), Nolan Callahan (3-0 at 120/126), Jeremiah Lawrence (8-1 at 138/144), Obadiah Willis (8-1 at 126/132), Chance Woods (8-1 at 144/150), Anthony Oyola (6-2 at 132/138), Mastewal Evely (6-3 at 215/285), Ismael Martinez (6-3 at 165/175) and Indigo Berg (5-4 at 120/126). 

Benton captured a 46-34 victory over Morrison in the third-place dual meet in the Silver bracket. Top performers for Benton were Kobe Cali (9-0 at 175/190), Braxton Tittle (8-0 at 106/113), Kaden Blades (8-1 at 144), Kingston Palmer (6-3 at 126/132), Zane Stanley (6-3 at 120/1126), Derek Wilkey (6-3 at 150/157) and Peyton Robinson (5-3 at 150/157). Leading Morrison were Eli Modglin (8-1 at 126/132), Noah Stout (8-1 at 190), Caleb Carroll (7-2 at 215), Caleb Modglin (7-2 at 150/157), Cael Wright (7-2 at 120/126) and Trevor Tipton (5-4 at 285).

The Lawrence County co-op of Lawrenceville and Red Hill won 51-28 over Mercer County to capture fifth place in the Silver bracket. Leaders for Lawrence County were Hudson Meek (8-1 at 144), Malikye Williams (8-1 at 190), Cale Seitzinger (7-2 at 150), Grayson Allender (6-3 at 113), Dalton Baker (6-3 at 106), Jude DeCausey (6-3 at 215), Kyler Guercio (6-3 at 120/126), Nick Morehead (6-3 at 175), Jude Shick (5-3 at 132/138), Daniel Kiser (5-4 at 157) and Drew Seitzinger (5-4 at 126/132). Top performers for Mercer County were Eli Burns (8-1 at 165), Boston Morford (8-1 at 113/120), Eli Boswell (6-3 at 157), Evan Clark (6-3 at 138), Brady Heinrichs (6-3 at 285) and Jaxon Adamson (5-4 at 120/126).

Byron took seventh place in the Silver bracket after claiming a 44-30 victory over Cumberland.  Leaders for Byron were Brody Stien (9-0 at 175/190), Wyatt Stacy (4-0 at 190), Issac Alvarez (4-1 at 175), Hunter King (7-2 at 126), Dalton Norris (7-2 at 215), Cael O’Horo (5-2 at 150/157), Will Julian (5-3 at 165) and Aiden Salo (5-4 at 106). Top performers for Cumberland were Jaxson Dukeman (7-2 at 150), Peyton Groves (7-2 at 106), Sawyer Welbaum (7-2 at 132), Daniel Nichols (6-3 at 157/165), Owen McGinnis (6-3 at 157/165), Max Strader (6-3 at 190/215) and Logan Aaron (5-4 at 138).

Mt. Zion defeated Princeton 48-30 to take ninth place in the Silver bracket. Top individuals for Mt. Zion were Keller Stocks (9-0 at 215), Carson Thornton (8-1 at 175), Vincent Baker (7-2 at 138), Travon Street (7-2 at 144) and Rylyn Owens (5-4 at 157). Leading the way for Princeton were Casey Etheridge (9-0 at 1265), Kane Dauber (7-0 at 138/144), Augustus Swanson (7-0 at 113/120), Isaac Hufnagel (3-0 at 113), Brady Peach (8-1 at 106), Corbin Brown (7-1 at 132/138), Jacob Paull (4-2 at 126), Eli Berlin (6-3 at 190) and Allister Swanson (6-3 at 120/126).

Sherrard claimed 11th place in the Silver bracket with a 64-12 victory over Tremont. Sherrard was led by Kaden Dutton (7-2 at 165), Cooper Thomas (7-2 at 190/215), Jonathan Weakley (7-2 at 215/285), Aidan Eads (6-3 at 106), Tavian Straus (6-3 at 113) and Gideon Heist (5-4 at 175).

Tremont’s top performer was Luke McAllister (5-4 at 106).

Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth took 13th place in the Silver bracket with a 52-27 win over Frankfort/ Christopher. Leaders for Warrensburg-Latham/ Maroa-Forsyth were Charlie Wittmer (7-1 at 157/165), Francisco Lopez Banderas (6-1 at 138), Jack Kerley (5-1 at 285), Kenton Rule (7-2 at 175), Taygan Gossard (6-2 at 120/126), Kevin Sanderson (6-3 at 113) and Graham Blackwell (5-3 at 215). Top performers for Frankfort/ Christopher were Hudson Anderton (8-1 at 126), Lucas Parker (7-1 at 144), Bryson Aaron (4-1 at 175), Jordan Turner (3-1 at 138/144), Michael Minor (5-2 at 165), Jaden White (6-3 at 150), Quentin Riley (5-4 at 285) and Julian Wyant (5-4 at 157/165).

Robinson defeated Shelbyville 48-35 to finish in 15th place in the Silver bracket. Top individuals for Robinson were Broady Kelly (8-1 at 138/144), Landon Cornwell (5-4 at 113), Gracen Elliott (5-4 at 120) and Eddison Armijos (5-4 at 132/138). Leaders for Shelbyville were Bodee Fathauer (6-1 at 132), Hayden Mudgette (7-2 at 215/285), Ryne Peavler (7-2 at 165/175), Colin Wells (6-3 at 132/138) and Conner Stockton (5-4 at 285).

Bronze Bracket

Riverdale claimed a 62-17 victory over Beardstown to finish in first place in the Bronze bracket. Leading the way for Riverdale were Dean Wainwright (8-0 at 132/138), Marcus Bennett (7-1 at 190), Jacob Schradeya (7-1 at 215), Cole Smith (6-2 at 106), Henry Schradeya (5-2 at 285), Jaqavon Avant-Orr (5-3 at 138/144) and Brady Rogers (5-3 at 144/150). Top performers for Beardstown were Gunner Looker (7-1 at 175), Maddox Medrano (7-1 at 165), Logan Haverback (6-2 at 215/285) and Bryan Islas (5-3 at 113/120).

Clifton Central/ Iroquois West won 42-27 over Mt. Carmel to finish in third place in the Bronze bracket. Leaders for Clifton Central/ Iroquois West were Giona Panozzo (7-1 at 150), Evan Cox (5-1 at 144), Brody O’Connor (4-1 at 215), Colton Vaughn (3-1 at 175), John Randles (5-2 at 165), Owen Robinson (5-2 at 132/138), Josh McCurry (4-2 at 285) and Garrison Bailey (5-3 at 157). Top performers for Mt. Carmel were Kadin Melahn (3-1 at 132), Emmitt Cooley (6-2 at 138) and Carter Pyatt (5-2 at 285).

Pontiac edged Stillman Valley 37-33 for fifth place in the Bronze bracket. Leaders for Pontiac were Lucas Maier (7-1 at 175/190), Jack Voigts (7-1 at 126/132), Braden Oppermen (5-1 at 138/144), Hunter McCullough (6-2 at 285), Noah Davis (5-2 at 144/150), Drayden Ramsey (4-2 at 138/144), Hunter Christenson (5-3 at 157) and Brayden Quas (5-3 at 165). Stillman Valley’s top performers were Ethan Waugh (8-0 at 165), Xander Bell (4-1 at 126), Carter Paulson (6-2 at 106), Isaiahs Carreno (5-2 at 120), Tyler Bell (4-2 at 157), Chase Jones (5-3 at 150) and Brodie Watterson (5-3 at 144). 

Anna-Jonesboro took seventh place in the Bronze bracket with a 41-36 victory over Orion.  Anna-Jonesboro was led by Titus Dover (6-1 at 175/190), Jase Holshouser (6-2 at 144) and J.R. Wright (5-3 at 113/120). Orion’s top performers were Max Hessler (7-1 at 132), Jace Lerminez (6-2 at 175/190), Ellis Thorndyke (6-2 at 120) and Tyler Olson (5-3 at 126/132).

Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm finished ninth in the Bronze bracket with a 47-34 victory over LeRoy/ Tri-Valley.  Leading the way for Westville. Georgetown-Ridge Farm were Ethan Miller (8-0 at 190/215), Levi Miller (7-1 at 132), Bleighten Irelan (3-1 at 215/285) and Vance Johnson (6-2 at 138/144). LeRoy/ Tri-Valley’s top performers were Jake Baughman (6-2 at 113), Connor McLaughlin (5-3 at 150), Jackson Ritch (5-3 at 215), Devan Roberson (5-3 at 144) and Logan Thompson (5-3 at 126/132).

Litchfield/ Mt. Olive edged Auburn/ Pawnee 43-42 by criteria to claim 11th place in the Bronze bracket. Top individuals for Litchfield/ Mt. Olive were Vincent Moore (8-0 at 126/132), Tristan Staggs (8-0 at 215/285), Braxton Kieffer (7-1 at 165) and Jayden Ellinger (6-2 at 190). And leaders for Auburn/ Pawnee were Jayden Brown (8-0 at 165/175), Drayven Hamm (8-0 at 144/150), Elijah Scott (7-1 at 126/132), Trey Boston (6-2 at 150/157), Eli Hill (6-2 at 106/113) and Ayden Williams (6-2 at 215/285).

Quincy Notre Dame won 46-28 over Hoopeston Area/ Milford in the 13th-place dual meet in the Bronze bracket. Leading Quincy Notre Dame were Cale Hilbing (7-1 at 150), Bradi Lahr (7-1 at 157), Abram Zanger (6-1 at 165/175), Vincent Edmondson (3-1 at 165) and Austin Shull (5-3 at 144). Top performers for Hoopeston Area/ Milford were Aiden Bell (8-0 at 126/132), Dylan Warner (8-0 at 106/113), Earl Kelnhofer (6-2 at 190/215), Dorin Coss (5-3 at 157) and Dominic Simpson (5-3 at 215/285).

Erie/ Prophetstown claimed a 47-21 win over Wilmington to take 15th place in the Bronze bracket. Top individuals for Erie/ Prophetstown were Noah Wetzell (7-1 at 150/157), Caleb Reymer (6-2 at 285), John Holland (4-2 at 215) and Conner Johnson (5-3 at 165). Wilmington was led by Logan VanDuyne (6-0 at 190/215), Oakley Rivera (7-1 at 144), Will Wilson (6-2 at 215/285) and Memphis Iwen (4-2 at 215/285).

Copper Bracket

St. Joseph-Ogden edged El Paso-Gridley 32-29 to take first place in the Copper bracket. Top performers for St. Joseph-Ogden were Weston Hubbard (3-0 at 106), Coy Hayes (7-1 at 165), Vance McComas (6-2 at 190), Devan Swisher (4-2 at 175), Levi Lee (3-2 at 106), Liam Carter (5-3 at 215), Camden Getty (5-3 at 126), George Hale (5-3 at 120), Ben Wells (5-3 at 113) and Alex Vaughn (5-3 at 157). Leading the way for El Paso-Grifley were Ben Buis (8-0 at 285), Kole Petta (8-0 at 106), Tom Erwin (7-0 at 126/132), Jude Roth (6-2 at 150) and Braden Gibson (5-3 at 190/215).

Knoxville defeated Farmington/ Cuba 46-36 for third place in the Copper bracket. Leading Knoxville were Gavyn Stevens (7-1 at 157/165), Brydon Walters (7-1 at 215), Caleb Clevenger (5-2 at 150/157), James Long (4-2 at 190) and Shawn McGlown (5-3 at 175). Top performers for Farmington/ Cuba were Bradlee Ellis (8-0 at 144/150), Isaac Showalter (8-0 at 106/113), Isacc Flora (6-2 at 120/126), Ian Winner (5-3 at 126/132) and Gage Williamson (5-3 at 138).

Hillsboro won 45-30 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw to take fifth in the Copper bracket. Leading the way for Hillsboro were Kohl Fuller (7-0 at 113), Landon Bandy (6-1 at 120), Briar Kuhl (6-1 at 138), Skyler Sturgeon (6-1 at 126) and Deven Beard (4-2 at 144). Top performers for Deer Creek-Mackinaw were Caleb Greer (7-0 at 175/190) and Joey Humphreys (7-0 at 285).

Sacred Heart-Griffin placed seventh in the Copper bracket with a 36-27 victory over Macomb. Sacred Heart-Griffin was led by Casen Lyons (5-0 at 190) and Jeremy Judd (6-1 at 165). Macomb’s top individuals were Ethan Hoyt (6-1 at 120/126), Joshua McPheeters (6-1 at 175) and Kyler Miller (5-2 at 132).

Illini Bluffs beat Camp Point Central/ Brown County 41-36 to take ninth place in the Copper bracket. Top performers for Illini Bluffs were Barret Speck (6-1 at 132/138), Liam Major (4-2 at 120/126) and Nathan Owens (4-2 at 126/132). Camp Point Central/ Brown County was led by Jack Welch (7-0 at 113), Grant Hamilton (6-1 at 175) and Jordan Friday (5-2 at 106).

Prairie Central claimed 11th place in the Copper bracket with a 42-11 victory over Walther Christian Academy.  Leading the way for Prairie Central were Andrew Patino (6-1 at 113), Treyton Zimmerman (6-1 at 106) and Elijah Mowery (5-2 at 190/215). The top individual for Walther Christian Academy was Steven Rodriguez (5-2 at 175).

Statistics of note

Olympia’s Devin Ehler and Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer recorded the most team points with 54 while Rockridge’s Nate Lower and Vandalia’s Max Philpot tied for third with 53 team points. Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Arrison Bauer, Benton’s Kobe Cali and Roxana’s Brandon Green, Jr. tied for fifth in that category with 51 points. And Chicago Hope Academy’s Arkail Griffin, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Eli Larson, Marquette Academy’s Reily Leifheit, Byron’s Brody Stien and Mt. Zion’s Keller Stocks tied for eighth place in most team points with 50.

Marquette Academy’s Alex Schaefer also recorded nine falls while Newman Central Catholic’s Landon Near collected eight pins. Olympia’s Brandon Gaither was the only individual in the competition to finish with five victories by technical fall. Byron’s Brody Stien easily led the way with most total match points with 150 while Chicago Hope Academy’s Obadiah Willis was second with 119 points. 

Champion Coal City recorded the most pins with 73 while runner-up Vandalia and Reed-Custer tied for second place with 49 pins. Murphysboro collected the most wins by technical fall with 19 while Lena-Winslow/ Stockton and Vandalia tied for second place with 14. 

The champion Coalers also finished with 655 team points while Vandalia was a distant second with 542 team points. In addition, Coal City easily had the most total match points with 823 while Murphysboro ranked second with 768 match points.

ABE’s Rumble Championship Dual Meet

Coal City 52, Lena-Winslow/ Stockton 21

165 – Mason Garner (CC) over Mark Detweiler (LWS), F 2:55

175 – Noah Houston (CC) over John Mensendike (LWS), D 3-2

190 – Eli Larson (LWS) over Evan Greggain (CC), TF

215 – Oliver McPeek (LWS) over Cade Poyner (CC), F 7:30

285 – Jeremiah Luke (LWS) over Payton Vigna (CC), TF

106 – Ryder Gill (CC) over Reece Hartzell (LWS), F 0:41

113 – Jake Munsterman (CC) over Carson Hill (LWS), MD 15-7

120 – Tyson Price (CC) over Keller Otto (LWS), TF

126 – Owen Petersen (CC) over Brandon White (LWS), MD 15-5

132 – Cooper Morris (CC) over Huntlee Burris (LWS), F 1:16

138 – Luke Munsterman (CC) over Mauricio Glass (LWS), F 4:35

144 – Arrison Bauer (LWS) over Roberto Rodriguez (CC), TF

150 – Max Christensen (CC) over Reece Demeter (LWS), F 2:36

157 – Aidan Kenney (CC) over Sam Sikora (LWS), F 1:18