Conference recaps: Girls UEC, Boys DVC & Boys DKC
By Chris Walker – for the IWCOA
UPSTATE EIGHT CONFERENCE (GIRLS)
East Aurora may have had only a single individual champion, but the Tomcats had 13 girls place to win the Upstate Eight Conference Tournament at West Aurora with 203 points.
There was a much more competitive race for second place as West Chicago narrowly got past West Aurora, 166 to 166.5. Glenbard South (134), Fenton (107), Glenbard East (101) and Riverside-Brookfield (90) were next in line in the competition.
1st: East Aurora 203
Lilli Ortiz brought home the crown at 235 to lead coach Ryan Mick’s Tomcats as their lone champion. Joselyn Llanos (110), Ayelen Higuera (130) and Lupita Garcia (145) came up short in the finals to place second and Jelena Coyomani (120), Valentina Barboza (125), Isabel Velasco (135) and Jaylene Dealba (190) battled back to take third. Carmen Garcia (100) and Vanessa Tesillos (115) took fourth, Annette Santiago (105) and Guadalupe Casiano (155) placed fifth and Olena Ftoma (170) took sixth while Carolina Ascencio (140) also contributed to the title effort.
2nd: West Chicago 166
Brissia Bucio captured the title at 105 to lead coach Jonathon Juarez’ Wildcats, who received second-place finishes from Mackensie Szajda (120), Batula Nasib (140) and Olivia Halminiak (170) while Karina Diaz (115) and Ariana Bonilla (235) took third. Alina Fernandez (155) and Weni Koudi (190) finished fourth, Allison Rocha (100) and Michelle Gallegos (130) placed fifth and Amy Borja (145) was sixth.
3rd: West Aurora 166.5
The Blackhawks, who are coached by Steve Wallace, produced the most individual champions with three. They were Melissa Melgar (100), Aiyanah Sylvester (120) and Maren Minarcik (145). They had five total in the finals with Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (105) and Lailonie Molina (125) placing second. Aaliyah Walker (130), Kiveni (Tiffany) Manungu (170) and Jayda Chism (235) took fourth and Raysa Castaneda (140) was sixth.
Final team scores
East Aurora 203, West Chicago 166, West Aurora 165.5, Glenbard South 134, Fenton 107, Glenbard East 101, Riverside-Brookfield 90, Bartlett 70, South Elgin 68, Ridgewood 52, Larkin 51, Streamwood 27, Elgin 24, Elmwood Park 18
Additional conference champions
110 Norah Cwik, Bartlett
115 Matylda Piskorz, Fenton
125 Giselle Castillo, Fenton
130 Lilly White, Bartlett
135 Evie DeSantis, Glenbard South
140 Maria Green, Glenbard East
155 Allison Garbacz, South Elgin
170 Estefany Bejarano, Riverside-Brookfield
190 Jadelin Caballero, Larkin
Championship match results
100 Melissa Melgar (West Aurora) F 1:20 Karla Sarabia (Glenbard East)
105 Brissia Bucio (West Chicago) F 3:15 Ruby Bolanos-Carbajal (West Aurora)
110 Norah Cwik (Bartlett) F 3:57 Joselyn Llanos (East Aurora)
115 Matylda Piskorz (Fenton) F 4:30 Vivian Aliga (Glenbard South)
120 Aiyanah Sylvester (West Aurora) F 3:50 Mackensie Szajda (West Chicago)
125 Giselle Castillo (Fenton) F 5:47 Lailonie Molina (West Aurora)
130 Lilly White (Bartlett) Inj. Ayelen Higuera (East Aurora)
135 Evie DeSantis (Glenbard South) F 4:44 Gianna Mezzano (Ridgewood)
140 Maria Green (Glenbard East) D 7-5 Batula Nasib (West Chicago)
145 Maren Minarcik (West Aurora) MD 13-4 Lupita Garcia (East Aurora)
155 Allison Garbacz (South Elgin) TF 4:35 Danely Villagomez (Riverside-Brookfield)
170 Estefany Bejarano (Riverside-Brookfield) F 1:02 Olivia Halminiak (West Chicago)
190 Jadelin Caballero (Larkin) UTB 3-2 Ariana Solideo (Fenton)
235 Lilli Ortiz (East Aurora) UTB 4-3 Sky Vazquez (Elmwood Park)
Third-place match results
100 Valerie Aliga (Glenbard South) F 3:24 Carmen Garcia (East Aurora)
105 Anni Romo (South Elgin) F 1:08 Valeria Guzman (Elgin)
110 Kai Zamora (Fenton) F 1:53 Lashuna York (Glenbard South)
115 Karina Diaz (West Chicago) F 0:48 Vanessa Tesillos (East Aurora)
120 Jelena Coyomani (East Aurora) F 3:16 Tessa Yannias (Glenbard East)
125 Valentina Barboza (East Aurora) F 2:30 Lea Becker (Riverside-Brookfield)
130 Nichole Castillo (Glenbard South) F 5:13 Aaliyah Walker (West Aurora)
135 Isabel Velasco (East Aurora) F 0:56 Iyonna White (Glenbard East)
140 Rose McFadden (Ridgewood) F 0:56 Melanie Nava (Bartlett)
145 Emily Anaya (Riverside-Brookfield) F 1:40 Mary McFadden (Ridgewood)
155 Kate Costello (Glenbard South) F 5;07 Alina Fernandez (West Chicago)
170 Annalizette Gallegos (Larkin)) F 5:27 Kiveni (Tiffany) Manungu (West Aurora)
190 Jaylene Dealba (East Aurora) F 1:57 Weni Koudi (West Chicago)
235 Ariana Bonilla (West Chicago) F 0:55 Jayda Chism (West Aurora)
Statistics
TEAM: East Aurora led all teams with 21 pins, followed by West Chicago and West Aurora, which each had 19. Glenbard South followed with 18 pins and Fenton had 13 to round out the top five teams. South Elgin had the most tech falls in the least time with two in 7:27. West Aurora had the lone other tech fall in 4:57.
The Blackhawks also had the most total match points with 215 while the Tomcats were closely behind with 211 and the Raiders had 197.
INDIVIDUAL: Larkin’s Annalizette Gallegos had the most pins in the least time with five pins in 10:12. West Chicago’s Allison Rocha had four pins in 4:04 and West Aurora’s Aaliyah Walker had four in 8:26. Riverside-Brookfield’s Estefany Bejarano had the fastest fall in 10 seconds while West Chicago’s Allison Rocha had a pin in 13 seconds and her teammate Ariana Bonilla had one in 14 seconds. South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz had the quickest tech fall in 2:52.
Fenton’s Matylda Piskorz and Giselle Castillo, Bartlett’s Lilly White and Norah Cwik, West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylvester, Riverside-Brookfield’s Estefany Bejarano, Glenbard South’s Evie DeSantis and West Chicago’s Brissia Bucio had the most team points as the eight individuals scored 26 points each. East Aurora’s Annette Santiago had the most total match points with 44 and South Elgin’s Maddy Radke had the most single match points with 20. West Aurora’s Raysa Castaneda was a no. 10 seed who placed sixth. Her climb of four spots was the most significant seed-place differential in the tournament, allowing her to join select company with East Aurora’s Annette Santiago (9-5-4), Larkin’s Annalizette Gallegos (7-3-4) and Glenbard East’s Leah Montes (10-6-4).
DUPAGE VALLEY CONFERENCE (BOYS)
Naperville Central had 14 wrestlers place, including seven who won titles, to score 280.5 points and capture the DuPage Valley Conference Tournament title in DeKalb.
The Redhawks withstood their biggest competition from crosstown rival, Naperville North, which was a distant second with 236 points, while the host Barbs placed third with 205 points.
1st: Naperville Central 280.5
Coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks advanced 10 individuals to the finals, and won seven of those matches. Winning DVC titles were Dalton Meluch (120), Jake Moore (126), Jacob Cochran (138), Staviros Gerousis (144), Reid Balis (157), Oscar Binkowski (165) and Nicolas Olvera (175) while Vince Bern (150), Paul Peradotti (190) and Caelon Young (215) placed second. Tyler Intoccia (106) was third and Rowen Patel (113), Jack Fitzgerald (132) and Jayden Davis (285) took fourth.
2nd: Naperville North 236
Michael Arredondo (132), J.T. Hill (190) and Tavfik Ibragimov (215) won titles to lead coach Tom Champion’s Huskies to second place. Cam Krueger (106), Archer Biag (126), Max Venecia (144) and Jake Johnson (285) placed second while Hank Burresh (113), Adrien Flores (138), Kai Balice (150), Alex Realmuto (165) and David Hurrle (175) were third and Antonis Rasoulis (120) and Dorian Berdizza (157) took fourth place.
3rd: DeKalb 205
The host Barbs, coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Sam Hiatt, took third place and had three champions, Julian Hartwig (106), Matthew Frykman (113) and Cam Matthews (150) while Sam Howard (120) and Ayden Shuey (132) took second place. Tyler Daub (126), Midaris Chappelle (144), Mario Cosme (215) and Nick Waddle (285) finished third, Hayes Halstead (138) and Darius Russell (190) were fourth and Murdock Hernandez (157) and Malik Warren (165) took fifth place.
Final team scores:
Naperville Central 280.5, Naperville North 235, DeKalb 205, Waubonsie Valley 111, Neuqua Valley 97, Metea Valley 65.5
Additional champion:
285 – Leonidas Berrios (Waubonsie Valley)
Championship match results
106 Julian Hartwig (DeKalb) F 0:57 Cam Krueger (Naperville North)
113 Matthew Frykman (DeKalb) F 4:33 Alan Macias (Metea Valley)
120 Dalton Meluch (Naperville Central) F 1:37 Sam Howard (DeKalb)
126 Jake Moore (Naperville Central) TF 5:07 Archer Biag (Naperville North)
132 Michael Arredondo (Naperville North) D 13-6 Ayden Shuey (DeKalb)
138 Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central F 1:46 Marcus Diaz (Neuqua Valley)
144 Staviros Gerousis (Naperville Central) F 1:12 Max Venecia (Naperville North)
150 Cam Matthews (DeKalb) D 10-5 Vince Bern (Naperville Central)
157 Reid Balis (Naperville Central) F 3:17 Ronin Brom (Neuqua Valley)
165 Oscar Binkowski (Naperville Central) D 9-8 Giuseppe Caprio (Neuqua Valley)
175 Nicolas Olvera (Naperville Central) TF 4:50 Lucas Marcoux (Metea Valley)
190 J.T. Hill (Naperville North) F 6:00 Paul Peradotti (Naperville Central)
215 Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville North) D 1-0 Caelon Young (Naperville Central)
285 Leonidas Berrios (Waubonsie Valley) F 1:00 Jake Johnson (Naperville North)
Third-place match results
106 Tyler Intoccia (Naperville (Central)
113 Hank Burresh (Naperville North) F 2:57 Rowen Patel (Naperville Central)
120 Cardevion Gordon (Neuqua Valley) F 3:16 Antonis Rasoulis (Naperville North)
126 Tyler Daub (DeKalb) TF 2:34 Adam Loos (Metea Valley)
132 Nathan Duffield (Waubonsie Valley) D 12-9 Jack Fitzgerald (Naperville Central)
138 Adrien Flores (Naperville North) F 1:53 Hayes Halstead (DeKalb)
144 Midaris Chappelle (DeKalb) TF 3:25 Christopher Lopez (Waubonsie Valley)
150 Kai Balice (Naperville North) MD 15-1 Desmond Stribley (Waubonsie Valley)
157 Owen Greenfield (Waubonsie Valley) F 1:53 Dorian Berdizza (Naperville (North)
165 Alex Realmuto (Naperville North) D 15-9 Chase Nailos (Waubonsie Valley)
175 David Hurrle (Naperville North) D 6-2 Lucas Pretkelis (Waubonsie Valley)
190 Rolando Luna-Ramos (Waubonsie Valley) TF 6:00 Darius Russell (DeKalb)
215 Mario Cosme (DeKalb) F 4:22 Jamarion Lee (Waubonsie Valley)
285 Nick Waddle (DeKalb) F 1:13 Jayden Davis (Naperville Central)
Statistics
TEAM: Naperville Central led all teams with 12 pins, followed by DeKalb with 10 and Naperville North with nine. DeKalb posted the most tech falls in the least time with five in 15:30, followed by Naperville Central with four in 16:33. The Redhawks also led the field with 212 total match points, a handful more than DeKalb’s 207 while Naperville North was third with 183.
INDIVIDUAL: Naperville Central’s Staviros Gerousis was one of eight individuals with two pins and he accomplished the feat in the least amount of time in 2:01. His teammate, Jacob Cochran, was right behind him with two in 2:04 and was followed by DeKalb’s Nick Waddle, who got a pair in 2:29. Cochran also posted the fastest fall in 18 seconds while DeKalb’s Hayes Halstead had the fastest tech fall in 1:59 followed by Naperville Central’s Dalton Meluch, who had a tech fall in 2:13.
Naperville Central’s Jacob Cochran, Staviros Gerousis and Reid Balis, DeKalb’s Matthew Frykman and Julian Hartwig, Naperville North’s T.J. Hill and Waubonsie Valley’s Leonidas Berrios all tied for the most team points with 26 each. Naperville Central’s Nicolas Olvera had the most single match points with 22, followed by Waubonsie Valley’s Mark Romiti and Rolando Luna-Ramos who each had 20.
DeKalb’s Midaris Chappelle led all wrestlers by plenty in the most total match points category with 55, which was 17 more than Waubonsie Valley’s Nathan Duffield’s 38 which were the second-most. Naperville North’s Adrien Flores and Alex Realmuto tied for the largest seed-place difference as both were seeded No. 5 and placed third for a differential of two.
DUKANE CONFERENCE (BOYS)
St. Charles East sent 13 wrestlers to the finals to wrap up the team competition early. The Saints won seven individual titles and had six second-place finishes to score 295.5 points in the tournament at Wheaton North..
1st: St. Charles East 295.5
Dom Munaretto (120) became a four-time conference champion to lead the Fighting Saints, who are coached by 2025 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jason Potter. Additional title winners were Kaden Potter (132), Liam Aye (138), Jayden Hernandez (150), Isaac Lenard (157), Cooper Murray (215) and Matt Medina (285). Placing second were Maximus Aye (106), Will Difatta (113), Declan Sons (126), Gavin Woodmancy (144), Luciano Litro (165) and Asher Van Der Molen (175). Hazen Murray (190) delivered a few team points for the Saints by placing sixth.
2nd: Wheaton North 209
Julian Flores, who placed second the past two years at 165, won a title at 175 and Ryan Rosch (190) joined him on the awards stand as a conference champion for coach Tim Walker’s runner-up Falcons. Rocco Macellaio (138), Jay Doherty (150) and Andrew Langas (157) placed second for the host Falcons. Danny Hyde (126), Caden Cahill (132) and Evan Madiol (144) were third, Dylan Le (113) and Nick Tortoriello (285) took fourth, Luke Edwards (120) was fifth and Dominic Macellaio (106) and Jacob Veltri (165) claimed sixth.
3rd: Wheaton Warrenville South 197.5
Rocco Valvano (106) and Jack Bashore (113) won championship matches to lead coach Matt Jaanosek’s Tigers while Michael Riggs (132) and Foster Yarbrough (215) placed second. Daithan Narayanan (150) and Evan Vliek (285) battled back to win third place. Joey Sirmon (144) and Noah Nau (157) were fourth while Matthew Lisowski (126), Reid Adler (165), Jacob Magana (175) and Gregory Heavey (190) took fifth and Troy Lomeli (120) placed sixth.
Final team scores:
St. Charles East 295.5, Wheaton North 209, Wheaton Warrenville South 197.5, Glenbard North 197, Batavia 142.5, Lake Park 83.5, Geneva 64.5, St. Charles North 28
Additional champions:
126 Vannak Khiev, Glenbard North
144 Nicholas Merola, Lake Park
165 Erick Esquivel, Glenbard North
Championship match results
106 Rocco Valvano (Wheaton Warrenville South) F 1:34 Maximus Aye (St. Charles East)
113 Jack Bashore (Wheaton Warrenville South HS) MD 12-4 Will Difatta (St. Charles East)
120 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) TF 3:09 Kai Enos (Batavia)
126 Vannak Khiev (Glenbard North) D 4-0 Declan Sons (St. Charles East)
132 Kaden Potter (St. Charles East) F 2:43 Michael Riggs (Wheaton Warrenville South)
138 Liam Aye (St. Charles East) D 9-1 Rocco Macellaio (Wheaton North)
144 Nicholas Merola (Lake Park) D 8-3 Gavin Woodmancy (St. Charles East)
150 Jayden Hernandez (St. Charles East) F 5:58 Jay Doherty (Wheaton North)
157 Isaac Lenard (St. Charles East) F 0:42 Andrew Langas (Wheaton North)
165 Erick Esquivel (Glenbard North) D 7-1 Luciano Litro (St. Charles East)
175 Julian Flores (Wheaton North) D 13-6 Asher Van Der Molen (St. Charles East)
190 Ryan Rosch (Wheaton North) TF 3:58 Jack Brown (Batavia)
215 Cooper Murray (St. Charles East) F 0:48 Foster Yarbrough (Wheaton Warrenville South)
285 Matt Medina (St. Charles East) F 1:42 Mark Atkins (Geneva)
Third-place results
106 Dominic Melody (Glenbard North) D 10-3 Joey Calvillo (Batavia)
113 Jadiel Castillo (Glenbard North) D 10-5 Dylan Le (Wheaton North)
120 Lukas Thompson (Glenbard North) MD 13-2 Liam Lovelace (Lake Park)
126 Danny Hyde (Wheaton North) D 9-2 Colin Johansen (Batavia)
132 Caden Cahill (Wheaton North) F 2:00 Emiliano Castillo (St. Charles North)
138 Trey Thompson (Glenbard North) F 4:00 Elias Chaney (Batavia)
144 Evan Madiol (Wheaton North) D 10-9 Joey Sirmon (Wheaton Warrenville South)
150 Daithan Narayanan (Wheaton Warrenville South) TF 4:37 Hudson VonQualen (St. Charles North)
157 Cole Hubbard (Batavia) F 2:42 Noah Nau (Wheaton Warrenville South)
165 Colin Peyton (Batavia) F 5:16 David Rueth (Geneva)
175 Xavier Smiley (Glenbard North) F 5:04 Jacob Magana (Wheaton Warrenville South)
190 Joseph Fitak (Glenbard North) MD 11-1 Alexander Gavrylyuk (Lake Park)
215 Tyler Hvorick (Glenbard North) MD 13-3 Antonin Svoboda (Lake Park)
285 Evan Vliek (Wheaton Warrenville South) Inj. 3:46 Nick Tortoriello (Wheaton North)
Statistics
TEAM: Wheaton North and Glenbard North tied for most pins with 15 apiece, but the Falcons got it done in the least amount of time (19:59) compared to the Panthers (30:57). Wheaton Warrenville South and St. Charles East both had 14 pins. St. Charles East had the most tech falls in the least amount of time with five in 18:49. Wheaton North had four in 12:38 and Wheaton Warrenville South had three in 14:28. Glenbard North led the field with 343 match points while Wheaton North and St. Charles East both posted 276 points, tying for second, and Wheaton Warrenville South was fourth with 266.
INDIVIDUAL: Wheaton North’s Caden Cahill and Glenbard North’s Xavier Smiley were the lone individuals to have three pins. Cahill got it done the quickest, needing just 3:02 while Smiley had his three opponents frowning in 7:09. St. Charles East’s Jayden Hernandez was the only wrestler on Saturday to earn more than a single tech fall win as he got a pair in 9:07. Cahill also had the fastest fall in 20 seconds, as he was one of seven wrestlers to earn wins by fall in under a half minute. Glenbard North’s Vannak Khiev’s 22-second pin was second-fastest. Glenbard North’s Trey Thompson had a 39-second tech fall which was the quickest on the day while Wheaton North’s Danny Hyde got one in 46 seconds as the only two to do so in under a minute.
St. Charles East’s Jayden Hernandez had the most team points with 25 while his teammates, Kaden Potter, Isaac Lenard, Cooper Murray and Matt Medina each had 24 along with Glenbard North’s Vannak Khiev. Batavia’s Colin Peyton scored the most single match points with 23 while St. Charles East’s Jayden Hernandez and Wheaton Warrenville South’s Michael Riggs each had 22. Riggs also had the largest seed-place differential in the tournament as the six-seed placed second for a differential of four.