Conference roundup for East Suburban Catholic, Chicago Public League, Western Big 6, NIC-10, Southland Athletic
By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA
Joliet Catholic Academy beats Marist for East Suburban Catholic Conference title
Two of the top four Class 3A teams met in the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament and for the second year in a row, Joliet Catholic Academy prevailed over Marist for the title, with the Hilltoppers outscoring the RedHawks 252-217.5 to win the eight-team event, which was hosted by Marist in Chicago.
Last year, JCA won the title by a 226-221.5 margin after Marist took first in 2022 while JCA was second. St. Patrick (129) placed third while Notre Dame College Prep (106) finished fourth.
Coach Ryan Cumbee’s champion Hilltoppers had eight title winners and five runners-up. Claiming firsts were Luke Foster (106), Max Cumbee (113), Jason Hampton (120), Luke Hamiti (157), Max Corral (165), Nico Ronchetti (190), Max Hrvatin (215) and Dillan Johnson (285).
Taking second for JCA were Adante Washington (126), Damien Flores (132), Elias Gonzalez (138), Connor Cumbee (150) and Isaac Clauson (175) while Nolan Vogel (144) took third and Griffin Alessio (175) finished fourth. Macello Aguiular (190) also competed for the Hilltoppers.
Leading the way for coach Brendan Heffernan’s second-place Marist RedHawks were champions Michael Esteban (126), Donavon Allen (138), Will Denny (150) and Ricky Ericksen (175) while Tommy Fidler (113), George Marinopoulos (120), Matthew Cornfield (144), Kevin Bartolotta (165), Conor Phelan (190) and Tom O’Brien (215) took second place. Ethan Sonne (132), Kevin Tomkins (157) and Dan Mahoney (285) finished third while Colin Phelan (106), Tyrese Johnson (150) and Matthew Sullivan (285) claimed fourth place.
Top performers for coach Dominic Angelo’s third-place St. Patrick Shamrocks were title winners Olin Walker (132) and Nikolas Karamaniolas (144) while Daniel Goodwin (106) and Van Grasser (157) took second. Devin Nichol (175) was third while Jack Koenig (113), Calvin Stahl (120), Patrick Hulne (126), Jack Clancy (190) and Aiden Gomez (215) finished fourth.
Notre Dame College Prep’s Dons were led by runner-up Scott Cook (285) while Ray Long (106), John Sheehy (113), John Greifelt (120), Deniz Ozturk (165), Jim Amatore (190) and Jack Malenock (215) took third place and Dean Lazaris (157) took fourth place.
Also finishing in third place were Carmel Catholic’s Matthew Lucansky (126) and Alex Asllani (138) and Nazareth Academy’s Andrew Fowler (150). Others who claimed fourth place were Saint Viator’s Caleb Jendras (132) and Daniel Chacia (138), Carmel Catholic’s Antonio Hinojosa (144) and Nazareth Academy’s Alex Dvorak (165).
Champions who also took first place last year were Donavon Allen, Will Denny, Jason Hampton, Dillan Johnson and Nico Ronchetti while Johnson and Denny also won ESCC titles in 2022.
Will Denny had the most team points with 23 while Max Corral, Max Hrvatin and Dillan Johnson tied for second with 22 points. Michael Esteban and Nico Ronchetti were next with 21.5, Nikolas Karamaniolas had 21 and Max Cumbee, Ricky Ericksen and Luke Hamiti had 20 team points. Denny also had the most total match points with 48 while Esteban was second with 35. And Deniz Ozturk, John Sheehy and Kevin Tomkins all recorded three falls.
Top records following the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament include Dillan Johnson at 285 (30-1, .968), Will Denny at 150 (33-4, .892), Olin Walker at 132 (31-4, .886), Nikolas Karamaniolas at 144 (26-5, .839), Jim Amatore at 190 (30-6, .833), George Marinopoulos at 120 (30-6, .833), Michael Esteban at 126 (28-6, .824), Scott Cook at 285 (32-7, .821), Daniel Goodwin at 106 (32-7, .821), Conor Phelan at 190 (31-7, .816), Donavon Allen at 138 (25-6, .806) and Ray Long at 106 (33-8, .805).
Marist had the most total match points with 245 and JCA was second with 205. The champion Hilltoppers recorded the most falls with 15 while Notre Dame had 14 and Marist got 13 pins.
Championship matches for the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament
106 – Luke Foster (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 6-1 Daniel Goodwin (St. Patrick)
113 – Max Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 8-3 Tommy Fidler (Marist)
120 – Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 3-2 George Marinopoulos (Marist)
126 – Michael Esteban (Marist) F 5:17 Adante Washington (Joliet Catholic Academy)
132 – Olin Walker (St. Patrick) D 7-3 Damien Flores (Joliet Catholic Academy)
138 – Donavon Allen (Marist) MD 12-2 Elias Gonzalez (Joliet Catholic Academy)
144 – Nikolas Karamaniolas (St, Patrick) MD 11-2 Matthew Cornfield (Marist)
150 – Will Denny (Marist) TF 2:42 Connor Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy)
157 – Luke Hamiti (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 5-2 Van Grasser (St. Patrick)
165 – Max Corral (Joliet Catholic Academy) F 2:49 Kevin Bartolotta (Marist)
175 – Ricky Ericksen (Marist) D 10-3 Issac Clauson (Joliet Catholic Academy)
190 – Nico Ronchetti (Joliet Catholic Academy) TF 4:29 Conor Phelan (Marist)
215 – Max Hravtin (Joliet Catholic Academy) F 3:25 Tom O’Brien (Marist)
285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Catholic Academy) F 0:28 Scott Cook (Notre Dame College Prep)
Third-place matches for the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament
106 – Ray Long (Notre Dame College Prep) F 5:12 Colin Phelan (Marist)
113 – John Sheehy (Notre Dame College Prep) F 1:07 Jack Koenig (St. Patrick)
120 – John Greifelt (Notre Dame College Prep) D 6-5 Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick)
126 – Matthew Lucansky (Carmel Catholic) MD 10-2 Patrick Hulne (St. Patrick)
132 – Ethan Sonne (Marist) F 0:39 Caleb Jendras (Saint Viator)
138 – Alex Asllani (Carmel Catholic) F 1:29 Daniel Chacia (Saint Viator)
144 – Nolan Vogel (Joliet Catholic Academy) D 7-2 Antonio Hinojosa (Carmel Catholic)
150 – Andrew Foster (Nazareth Academy) D 7-0 Tyrese Johnson (Marist)
157 – Kevin Tomkins (Marist) F 3:20 Dean Lazaris (Notre Dame College Prep)
165 – Deniz Ozturk (Notre Dame College Prep) F 3:57 Alex Dvorak (Nazareth Academy)
175 – Devin Nichol (St. Patrick) D 7-3 Griffin Alessio (Joliet Catholic Academy)
190 – Jim Amatore (Notre Dame College Prep) D 7-2 Jack Clancy (St. Patrick)
215 – Jack Malenock (Notre Dame College Prep) F 1:19 Aiden Gomez (St. Patrick)
285 – Dan Mahoney (Marist) D 3-2 Matthew Sullivan (Marist)
Team scores for the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament
1. Joliet Catholic Academy 252, 2. Marist 217.5, 3. St. Patrick 129, 4. Notre Dame College Prep 106, 5. Carmel Catholic 31, 6, Nazareth Academy 28, 7. Saint Viator 8, Marian Catholic 1.
Lane Tech wins third-straight Chicago Public League Boys Championship
Lane Tech College Prep had five title winners and three second-place finishers to help it to easily capture top honors at the Chicago Public League Boys Championships with 288 points, which was 98 more than runner-up Taft, which scored 190 points and Little Village took third place with 176 points. It was Lane Tech College Prep’s third-straight title in the competition.
Curie Metropolitan (128.5), Mather (126.5), Perspectives Leadership Academy (126.5), Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville (121.5), Rickover Naval Academy (104.5), Amundsen (98) and Kelly College Prep (87) rounded out the top-10 in the 41-team event that was held at De La Salle Institute in Chicago.
Coach Matthew Yan’s champion Lane Tech College Prep Champions were led by title winners Alex Valentin (113), Robert James Zavala (126), Larry Posey (132), Fernando Lopez (150) and Julian Hutchinson (285) while Evan Coles (106), Angel Santana (120) and Vermaat VanderBrug (144) placed second and Eyob Abebe (157) took third place. Cesar Mucha (138), Michael Birhala (165), Nick Berger (175), Maddox Bartoli (190) and Joaqin Gigante (215) didn’t place but all contributed points to the winning effort.
Top performers for coach Mike DiFrisco’s second-place Taft Eagles were champions Bernardo Roque (106), runner-up Steven Tantchev (175) and fourth-place finishers Miguel Guevara (113), Ermek Zarylykbekov (132) and Nathaniel Vega (165).
Leading the way for the third-place Little Village Phoenix, who are coached by Michael Zagorski, were runners-up Omar Perez (190) and Adrian Chavez (285) while Vince Ramirez (138) and Edwin Govea (165) took third and Brandon Manzo (150) finished fourth.
Curie Metropolitan had three title winners, Victor Quiroz (144), Damond Butler (157) and Mylan Williams (165). Other CPL champs were Perspectives Leadership Academy’s Donald Bunton, Jr. (120), Simeon’s Davian Hall (138), Mather’s Jacob Scott (175), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep’s Calvin Savage (190) and Phoenix Military Academy’s Kaleb Abney (215).
Also claiming second-place finishes were Hubbard’s Alex Carranza (126) and Fabian Salazar (138), Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado (113), Curie Metropolitan’s Porfirio Govea (132), Senn’s Maxwell Nevinger (150), Phoenix Military Academy’s Jules Rodriguez (157), Hancock College Prep’s Malakai Davis (165) and Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville’s Sean Brown (215).
Top records following the CPL Boys Championships include Donald Bunton, Jr. at 120 (12-0, 1.000), Davian Hall at 138 (12-0, 1.000), Calvin Savage at 190 (29-1, .967), Jacob Pizarro at 132 (28-1, .966), Maxwell Nevinger at 150 (27-1, .964), Sean Brown at 215 (19-1, .950), Malakai Davis at 165 (30-2, .938), Victor Alvardo at 113 (25-2, .926), Xavier Woods at 150 (34-3, .919), Fernando Lopez at 150 (22-2, .917), Julian Hutchinson at 285 (10-1, .909), Robert James Zavala at 126 (37-4, .902), Mivontae Russell at 190 (18-2, .900), Elijah Sawyer at 106 (26-3, .897), Alex Valentin at 113 (35-4, .897), Jacob Scott at 175 (24-3, .889), Vince Ramirez at 138 (30-4, .882), Bernardo Roque at 106 (30-4, .882) and Fabian Salazar at 138 (21-3, .875).
Julian Hutchinson and Victor Quiroz tied for the most team points with 32 while Fernando Lopez, Calvin Savage and Robert James Zavala all had 31.5 points, Damond Butler and Davian Hall had 30.5 and Kaleb Abney, Larry Posey and Jacob Scott finished with 30 team points.
Eyob Abebe had the most total match points with 75. Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville’s
DaLauren Edwards and Jemel O’Brien both had six falls. Perspectives Leadership Academy’s
Nicario Bella was seeded 27th at 126 and took third for the best seed to place differential. Lane Tech College Prep had the most total match points with 386 while Little Village had 333. And the top two teams led in falls with the first-place Champions getting 29 and runner-up Eagles 27.
Lane Tech College Prep also won the Chicago Public League junior varsity championship with 269 points while Sullivan edged Taft 187.5-183 to claim second place.
Championship matches for the Chicago Public League Boys Championships
106 – Bernardo Roque (Taft) D 9-7 Evan Coles (Lane Tech College Prep)
113 – Alex Valentin (Lane Tech College Prep) D 9-4 Victor Alvarado (Kennedy)
120 – Donald Bunton, Jr. (Perspectives Leadership Academy) SV 10-8 Angel Santana (Lane Tech College Prep)
126 – Robert James Zavala (Lane Tech College Prep) TF 2:08 Alex Carranza (Hubbard)
132 – Larry Posey (Lane Tech College Prep) D 4-3 Porfirio Govea (Curie Metropolitan)
138 – Davian Hall (Simeon) MD 17-9 Fabian Salazar (Hubbard)
144 – Victor Quiroz (Curie Metropolitan) F 2:34 Vermaat VanderBrug (Lane Tech College Prep)
150 – Fernando Lopez (Lane Tech College Prep) F 1:06 Maxwell Nevinger (Senn)
157 – Damond Butler (Curie Metropolitan) F 3:42 Jules Rodriguez (Phoenix Military Academy)
165 – Mylan Williams (Curie Metropolitan) D 7-6 Malakai Davis (Hancock College Prep)
175 – Jacob Scott (Mather) F 5:45 Steven Tantchev (Taft)
190 – Calvin Salvage (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep) F 1:16 Omar Perez (Little Village)
215 – Kaleb Abney (Phoenix Military Academy) D 9-8 Sean Brown (Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville)
285 – Julian Hutchinson (Lane Tech College Prep) F 1:48 Adrian Chavez (Little Village)
Third-place matches for the Chicago Public League Boys Championship
106 – Elijah Sawyer (Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences) D 5-3 Matthew Nguyen (Amundsen)
113 – Steven Onofre (Kelly College Prep) F 3:00 Miguel Guevara (Taft)
120 – Gianni Alberto (Kennedy) D 11-10 Daniel Garcia (Hubbard)
126 – Nicario Bella (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 0:42 Cliffon Johnson (Kelly College Prep)
132 – Jacob Pizarro (Rickover Naval Academy) F 5:33 Ermek Zarylykbekov (Taft)
138 – Vince Ramirez (Little Village) F 2:47 Lennon Ojeda (Senn)
144 – Sergio Ramirez (Lindblom) F 1:31 Brandon Valbuena (Rickover Naval Academy)
150 – Xavier Woods (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) F 2:45 Brandon Manzo (Little Village)
157 – Eyob Abebe (Lane Tech College Prep) D 10-7 Willem Johnston (Mather)
165 – Edwin Govea (Little Village) D 9-7 Nathaniel Vega (Taft)
175 – Adrian Zepeda (Amundsen) MD 12-4 James Simmons (Bowen)
190 – Mivontae Russell (Perspectives Leadership Academy) F 1:02 Malyeik Lee (Westinghouse College Prep)
215 – Jaxien Jervis-Orr (Mather) SV 6-4 Elijah Jamison (Perspectives Leadership Academy)
285 – Josue Olivo (Lindblom) D 4-1 Drelin Mack (Westinghouse College Prep)
Team scores for the Chicago Public League Boys Championships
1. Lane Tech College Prep 288, 2. Taft 190, 3. Little Village 176, 4. Curie Metropolitan 128.5, 5. Mather 126.5, 5, Perspectives Leadership Academy 126.5, 7. Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville 121.5, 8. Rickover Naval Academy 104.5, 9. Amundsen 98, 10. Kelly College Prep
87, 11. Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy 81, 12. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep 76, 13. Kennedy 74, 14. Hubbard 68, 15. Westinghouse College Prep 67, 16. Phoenix Military Academy 65, 17. Schurz 63, 18. Senn 54.5, 19. Back of the Yards 50, 20. Simeon 42.5, 21. Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences 40, 22. Sullivan 39, 23. Noble Gary Comer College Prep 36.5, 24. Horizon Science Academy Southwest Chicago 35, 25. Chicago Vocational Career Academy 34, 26. Crane Medical Prep 29, 27. Noble UIC College Prep 26, 28. Noble Golder College Prep 23, 29. ITW David Speer Academy 19, 30. Julian 18, 31. DuSable 15, 32. Clemente 11, 33. Harlan 10, 34. Wendell Phillips Academy 8.5, 35. Fenger 7, 35. Kenwood 7, 37. South Shore International College Prep 4, 38. Englewood STEM 1, 38. Marshall 1, 38. Roosevelt/Von Steuben 1, 38. Tilden 1.
Quincy Senior wins four-way race for Western Big 6 title
Quincy Senior, Rock Island, Moline and Geneseo were all in the hunt for the Western Big 6 Conference Tournament championship and when all was said and done, Quincy Senior captured the title with 164 points while Rock Island (157.5) finished second, Moline (151) claimed third, Geneseo (150) placed fourth and Galesburg (120) settled for fifth in the eight-team competition, which took place at the historic Wharton Field House in Moline.
Leading coach Phil Neally’s champion Quincy Senior Blue Devils were first-place finishers Brody Baker (144), Owen Uppinghouse (165) and Todd Smith (285) while Bryor Newbold (175) finished second. Taking third were Hugh Sharrow (113), Evan Wakefield (126), Cale Mixer (138) and Eli Roberts (150) while Wyatt Boeing (120) and Gunnar Derhake (157) placed fourth. Cooper Kamm (132), Jayden Wilson (190) and Dalton Mays (215) were also on the title team. Muddy River Sports reports that this was the Blue Devils’ first WB6 title in over 40 years.
Five individuals won titles for coach Joel Stockwell’s runner-up Rock Island Rocks, Truth Vesey (113), Daniel McGhee (126), Antonio Parker (138), Amare Overton (175) and Andrew Marquez (215). Mauricio Parker (106), Merrick Stockwell (120) and Rowan Stockwell (190) took third.
Top performers for coach Jacob Ruettiger’s third-place Moline Maroons were champions Zander Ealy (157) and James Soliz (190) and runners-up Collin Ledbetter (106), Kayden Serrano (132), Jack Sibley (150) and Deanthony Simpson (165). Taking third place was Jaxson Soliz (175) and Housseyn Ndiaye (113) finished fourth.
Geneseo’s Maple Leafs, coached by 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray, were led by title winner Zachary Montez (150) while Tim Sebastian (113), Devan Hornback (126), Izaac Gaines (138), Malaki Jackson (144) and Kye Weinzierl (157) all took second place. Jacob Stahl (285) was third and TJ Kennedy (106), Grady Hull (132) and Colten Mooney (190) were fourth.
Galesburg’s Silver Streaks also had two champions, Rocky Almendarez (120) and Gauge Shipp (132), and two runners-up, Nick Makwala (190) and Larry Randolph (285). United Township had one title winner, Blake Trickey (106), and a second-place finisher, Payton Birdsley (215). And Sterling also had one runner-up, Zyan Westbrook (120).
There was a five-way tie for the most team points with 24 between Zander Ealy, Andrew Marquez, James Soliz, Blake Trickey and Owen Uppinghouse while Rocky Almendarez was next with 23.5 points. Zachary Montez, Amare Overton and Todd Smith tied for seventh with 23 points and Gauge Shipp collected 22.5 team points.
Top records following the Western Big 6 Conference Tournament include Owen Uppinghouse at 165 (41-0, 1.000), Gauge Shipp at 132 (35-0, 1.000), Daniel McGhee at 126 (34-1, .971), Rocky Almendarez at 120 (33-1, .971), Andrew Marquez at 215 (34-2, .944), Amare Overton at 175 (34-2, .944), Zachary Montez at 150 (32-2, .941), Kye Weinzierl at 157 (26-3, .897), Izaac Gaines at 138 (15-2, .882), Bryor Newbold at 175 (36-5, .878), Truth Vesey at 113 (28-4, .875) and Zander Ealy at 157 (34-5, .872).
Other individuals who took third were Sterling’s Landon Kenney (144), Gage Tate (165) and Oswaldo Navarro (215) and United Township’s Xavier Marolf (132) and Kayden Marolf (157).
Also finishing fourth were Galesburg’s Christian DeLaCruz (126), Josiah Carter (150) and Nathan Maloy (165), Alleman’s Adam Jacks (144) and Joey Magee (215), Sterling’s Tatum Allen (175) and Charlie Reyes (285) and United Township’s Loic Houedakor (138).
Gauge Shipp had the most total match points with 54 while the host Maroons had the two individuals who got their three falls the quickest, Zander Ealy in 2:06 and James Soliz in 2:26.
Geneseo collected the most total match points with 235 while Quincy Senior was second with 188. And the champion Blue Devils had 18 falls while Moline was next-best with 15 pins.
Championship matches for the Western Big 6 Conference Tournament
106 – Blake Trickey (United Township) F 5:56 Collin Ledbetter (Moline)
113 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) D 10-7 Tim Sebastian (Geneseo)
120 – Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) TF 4:06 Zyan Westbrook (Sterling)
126 – Daniel McGhee (Rock Island) D 12-5 Devan Hornback (Geneseo)
132 – Gauge Shipp (Galesburg) TF 4:50 Kayden Serrano (Moline)
138 – Antonio Parker (Rock Island) SV 9-7 Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)
145 – Brody Baker (Quincy Senior) D 8-6 Malaki Jackson (Geneseo)
150 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) F 2:23 Jack Sibley (Moline)
157 – Zander Ealy (Moline) F 1:17 Kye Weinzierl (Geneseo)
165 – Owen Uppinghouse (Quincy Senior) F 1:37 Deanthony Simpson (Moline)
175 – Amare Overton (Rock Island) MD 13-1 Bryor Newbold (Quincy Senior)
190 – James Soliz (Moline) F 1:24 Nick Makwala (Galesburg)
215 – Anthony Marquez (Rock Island) F 0:24 Payton Birdsley (United Township)
285 – Todd Smith (Quincy Senior) F 3:32 Larry Randolph (Galesburg)
Third-place matches for the Western Big Six Conference Tournament
106 – Mauricio Parker (Rock Island) F 0:43 TJ Kennedy (Geneseo)
113 – Hugh Sharrow (Quincy Senior) F 3:36 Housseyn Ndiaye (Moline)
120 – Merrick Stockwell (Rock Island) MD 9-0 Wyatt Boeing (Quincy Senior)
126 – Evan Wakefield (Quincy Senior) F 2:39 Christian DeLaCruz (Galesburg)
132 – Xavier Marolf (United Township) D 5-3 Grady Hull (Geneseo)
138 – Cale Mixer (Quincy Senior) D 2-0 Loic Houedakor (United Township)
144 – Landon Kenney (Sterling) SV 5-3 Adam Jacks (Alleman)
150 – Eli Roberts (Quincy Senior) D 7-4 Josiah Carter (Galesburg)
157 – Kayden Marolf (United Township) D 8-2 Gunnar Derhake (Quincy Senior)
165 – Gage Tate (Sterling) F 1:19 Nathan Maloy (Galesburg)
175 – Jaxson Soliz (Moline) TF 5:02 Tatum Allen (Sterling)
190 – Rowan Stockwell (Rock Island) F 3:04 Colten Mooney (Geneseo)
215 – Oswaldo Navarro (Sterling) D 10-4 Joey Magee (Alleman)
285 – Jacob Stahl (Geneseo) F 5:26 Charlie Reyes (Sterling)
Team scores for the Western Big 6 Conference Tournament
1. Quincy Senior 164, 2. Rock Island 157.5, 3. Moline 151, 4. Geneseo 150, 5. Galesburg 120, 6. Sterling 86, 7. United Township 80, 8. Alleman 19.
Hononegah rolls to NIC-10 championship
Hononegah had eight champions and four second-place finishers to help it win the NIC-10 Championship with 261 points, which was 85 points in front of runner-up Rockford East (176). Freeport and Harlem tied for third with 125 points while Belvidere co-op took fifth with 122.5 points in the nine-team competition which took place at Hononegah in Rockton.
Leading the way for coach Tyler Demoss’ first-place Indians were champions Rocco Cassioppi (106), Bruno Cassioppi (113), Thomas Silva (138), Max Haskins (150), Brody Sendele (157), Connor Diemel (165), Kurt Smith (175) and Isaak Smith (215) while Carlos Borges (120), Evan Musil (126), Robert Darling (132) and Max Aranki (144) took second. Greyson Cotone (190) was fifth and Luke Petravicz (285) also competed for the team champions.
Winning titles for coach Gene Lee’s runner-up Rockford East E-Rabs were Jospeh Young (120), Donald Cannon (132), Dana Wickson (144) and Lee Smith, Jr. (285) while Ty Smart (157) and Malachi Cannon (165) finished in second place. Rafael Esquer Santana (126) and Mekhi Byrd (190) took third while Cameron Terronez (138) placed fourth.
The other NIC-10 champions were Belvidere’s Bryson Teunissen (126) and Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois (190). Belvidere also had four second-place finishers, Dominick Girardin (138), Andrew Bucci (150), Juan Cervantes (175) and Zander Martinez (215). Also placing second were Harlem’s Justin Lewis (113) and Andrew Redmon (190), Guilford’s Dominic Angileri (106) and Freeport’s Sami Odeh (285).
Rocco Cassioppi, Brody Senderle and Jospeh Young tied for the most team points with 24 while Bruno Cassioppi, Connor Diemel, Thomas Silva, Lee Smith. Jr. and Bryson Teunissen tied for fourth with 23.5 team points and Donald Cannon and Kurt Smith tied for ninth with 23 points.
Individuals who head into the state series with the best winning percentages from the NIC-10 include Donald Cannon at 132 (28-0, 1.000), Brody Senderle at 157 (40-1, .979), Dominic Angileri at 106 (20-1, .952), Rocco Cassioppi at 106 (37-2, .949), Connor Diemel at 165 (38-4, .905), Lee Smith, Jr. at 285 (32-4, .889) and Bruno Cassioppi at 113 (30-4, .882).
Freeport and Harlem both had four individuals who placed third. Taking third for Harlem were Nathan Corder (106), Izayah Olejniczak (132), Ethan Hagerman (138) and Ayden Goodwin (285) while Freeport got thirds from Thomas Olson (113), Maddox Olson (150), Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (165) and Dawson Holland (215). Others who took third place were Guilford’s Josh Seagren (120) and Xzavier Lindhe (144), Belvidere’s Landon VanAcker (157) and Auburn’s Peter Eziagulu (175).
Auburn had five fourth-place finishers, Tyrone Sims (106), Arshoun Island (150), Dardan Jakupi (165), Joshua Nabors (190) and Joseph Rodriguez (285). Freeport had four individuals who took fourth place, Josh Avila (126), Dayvion Fernandez (144), Kyle Clem (157) and Michael Tillmon (175). Also finishing fourth were Harlem’s Jaydee Doke (120) and Chandler Jack (215),
Belvidere’s Austin Bouback (113) and Guilford’s Ayden Macklin (132).
Lee Smith, Jr. had the most total match points with 43. Xzavier Lindhe had the most falls in the least time with three in 4:05. Evan Musil was seeded seventh at 126 and took second place. Hononegah has the most total match points with 246 and Rockford East ranked second with 229. And Harlem and Rockford East tied for the most falls with 18.
Championship matches for the NIC-10 Conference Tournament
106 – Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) F 1:07 Dominic Angileri (Guilford)
113 – Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) TF 2:17 Justin Lewis (Harlem)
120 – Jospeh Young (Rockford East) F 4:19 Carlos Borges (Hononegah)
126 – Bryson Teunissen (Belvidere) TF 4:36 Evan Musil (Hononegah)
132 – David Cannon (Rockford East) MD 12-2 Robert Darling (Hononegah)
138 – Thomas Silva (Hononegah) TF 4:50 Dominik Girardin (Belvidere)
144 – Dana Wickson (Rockford East) MD 17-5 Max Aranki (Hononegah)
150 – Max Haskins (Hononegah) D 7-3 Andrew Bucci (Belvidere)
157 – Brody Sendele (Hononegah) F 1:16 Ty Smart (Rockford East)
165 – Connor Diemel (Hononegah) TF 2:15 Malachi Cannon (Rockford East)
175 – Kurt Smith (Hononegah) MD 11-3 Juan Cervantes (Belvidere)
190 – Karlondo Dubois (Jefferson) D 4-2 Andrew Redmon (Harlem)
215 – Isaak Smith (Hononegah) D 8-1 Zander Martinez (Belvidere)
295 – Lee Smith, Jr. (Rockford East) F 1:38 Sami Odeh (Freeport)
Third-place matches for the NIC-10 Conference Tournament
106 – Nathan Corder (Harlem) F 3:10 Tyrone Sims (Auburn)
113 – Thomas Olson (Freeport) F 1:24 Austin Bouback (Belvidere)
120 – Josh Seagren (Guilford) F 1:38 Jaydee Doke (Harlem)
126 – Rafael Esquer Santana (Rockford East) F 1:50 Josh Avila (Freeport)
132 – Izayah Olejniczak (Harlem) SV 8-6 Ayden Macklin (Guilford)
138 – Ethan Hagerman (Harlem) MD 14-6 Cameron Terronez (Rockford East)
144 – Xzavier Lindhe (Guilford) F 1:17 Dayvion Fernandez (Freeport)
150 – Maddox Olson (Freeport) D 12-9 Arshoun Island (Auburn)
157 – Landon VanAcker (Belvidere) F 5:48 Kyle Clem (Freeport)
165 – Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (Freeport) MD 12-3 Dardan Jakupi (Auburn)
175 – Peter Eziagulu (Auburn) F 5:59 Michael Tilmon (Freeport)
190 – Mekhi Byrd (Rockford East) F 5:41 Joshua Nabors (Auburn)
215 – Dawson Holland (Freeport) F 5:24 Chandler Jack (Harlem)
285 – Ayden Goodwin (Harlem) F 3:23 Joseph Rodriguez (Auburn)
Team scores for the NIC-10 Conference Tournament
1. Hononegah 261, 2. Rockford East 176, 3. Freeport 125, 3, Harlem 125, 5. Belvidere 122.5, 6. Guilford 82, 7. Auburn 63, 8. Jefferson 38.5, 9. Boylan Catholic 3.
Rich Township repeats as Southland Athletic Conference champion
Rich Township had five individual champions and three second-place finishers to help it capture the title of the Southland Athletic Conference Tournament, a five-team competition that it hosted in Richton Park. The hosts, who also won the SAC championship last season, finished with 141 points while Bloom Township got past Thornton Township 118.5-111.5 for second place.
Top performers for coach Alexander Pell’s champion Rich Township Raptors were title winners Keyshawn Pittman (106), Deyonte Drake (113), Kyrin King (120), Caleeb Jones (126) and Tristin King (144) while Chiff Okolo (138), Kelcey Span (175) and Jadin Billingsley (190) placed second. Carl Jeffries (132), Marquis Taylor (150) and Nicholas Parker (165) took third, Sam Kemp (157) and Emmanuel Gyan (215) finished fourth and Ahmah Brown (285) was fifth.
Taking first place for coach Gabe Damiani’s runner-up Bloom Township Blazing Trojans were Kentei Grady (138) and Jonathan Ivy (150) while Cameron Davenport (126), Arryck Dowdy (132), Khalil Craig (144) and Josiah Taylor (165) all placed second.
Thornton Township co-op had four title winners, Emmanuel Adedeji (132), Brandon Dumas (157), Qilee Jackson (190) and Lionel Senior (285). The other three Southland Athletic Conference champions were Kankakee’s Caleb Dickens (175) and Jacob Vinardi (215) and Crete-Monee’s Malakai Scott (165).
Other second-place finishers were Crete-Monee’s Bandile Gcabashe (113), Amaris Crump (150) and Jaylene Johnson (157), Thornton Township’s Adrian Valadez (106) and Taofeeq Amuda (215) and Kankakee’s Aiden Fields (120) and Rogelio Cornejo (285).
Kyrin King and Jacob Vinardi had the most team points with 20 while Kentei Grady and Jonathan Ivy were next-best with 19 team points. Jacob Vinardi was also the only individual in the tournament to record four falls and Chiff Okolo had 34 total match points while Jonathan Ivy and Tristin King both had 33 points. Rich Township had the most match points with 189 while the champion Raptors and Thorntown Township tied for the most wins by fall with 15.
Championship matches for the Southland Athletic Conference Tournament (round robin)
106 – Keyshawn Pittman (Rich Township) D 7-5 Adrian Valadez (Thornton Township)
113 – Deyonte Drake (Rich Township) F 2:29 Bandile Gcabashe (Crete-Monee)
120 – Kyrin King (Rich Township) F 1:52 Aiden Fields (Kankakee)
126 – Caleeb Jones (Rich Township) F 1:56 Cameron Davenport (Bloom Township)
132 – Emmanuel Adedeji (Thornton Township) F 2:46 Arryck Dowdy (Bloom Township)
138 – Kentei Grady (Bloom Township) F 1:09 Chiff Okolo (Rich Township)
144 – Tristin King (Rich Township) D 10-3 Khalil Craig (Bloom Township)
150 – Jonathan Ivy (Bloom Township) F 5:02 Amaris Crump (Crete-Monee)
157 – Brandon Dumas (Thornton Township) F 5:55 Jaylene Johnson (Crete-Monee)
165 – Malakai Scott (Crete-Monee) D 8-4 Josiah Taylor (Bloom Township)
175 – Caleb Dickens (Kankakee) D 4-2 Kelcey Span (Rich Township)
190 – Qilee Jackson (Thornton Township) D 7-2 Jadin Billingsley (Rich Township)
215 – Jacob Vinardi (Kankakee) F 1:50 Taofeeq Amuda (Thornton Township)
285 – Lionel Senior (Thornton Township) D 5-0 Rogelio Cornejo (Kankakee)
Team scores for the Southland Athletic Conference Tournament
1. Rich Township 141, 2. Bloom Township 118.5, 3. Thornton Township 111.5, 4. Kankakee 78, 5. Crete-Monee 68