Conference Tournament Roundup for January 29th

By Curt Herron

For the IWCOA

Lane Tech wins Chicago Public Schools City Championship

Lane Tech had four individual champions and received three runner-up finishes at this weekend’s Chicago Public Schools City Championship to help it to score 282.5 points, placing it well ahead of runner-up Taft, who had 227 points, in the two-day, 38-team competition that was held at De La Salle Institute. It was the first CPS title for Lane Tech since 2012 while Taft had won the last three championships.

Phoenix Military Academy (195) took third place while Kenwood (189) was fourth. Rounding out the top-10 teams in the field were Curie (118), Kennedy (112), Gary Comer  College Prep (104.5), Bowen (104), Amundsen (103) and Lindblom (76).

Leading the way for coach Matt Yan’s champion Indians were title winners Alex Valentin (14-3 at 106), Evan Coles (21-5 at 113), Finn Merrill (28-8 at 145) and Fernando Lopez (27-6 at 152) while James Zavala (27-6 at 120), Matt Ridley (21-9 at 126) and Gustavo Diaz (12-20 at 182) took second place. Finishing third was Cesar Mucha (5-1 at 138), taking fourth was Mehdi Tlich (21-11 at 285), placing fifth was Marcello Valle (12-14 at 132) and capturing sixth was Patrick Cabrera (10-6 at 160). Orlando Torres (220), Diego Condie-Espinosa (170) and Joaqin Gigante (195) also scored points for Lane Tech.

“Our team put together an incredible two days to win the tournament by 55.5 points over Taft,” Yan said. “We went 9-0 with nine pins in the first round, 7-for-9 in the semis, and 4-for-7 in the finals. A first-year wrestler (Valentin) won the 106 bracket for us, pinning everyone including the unbeaten number-one seed in the semis. At 138 our backup first-year freshman (Mucha) took third, earning four pins including one for third place over a Taft senior who beat him in the quarterfinals. We had sophomores win city titles at 113 (Coles) and 152 (Lopez), and a junior (Merrill) who avenged a prior loss in the finals at 145.

“Overall we had 11 placewinners and all 14 wrestlers contributed a pin toward the team score. It was a true team effort by our boys. Our unseeded 160-pounder (Cabrera) was hurt in the second round but stormed back with four pins in the consolations before we injury-defaulted him out to sixth place. I’m proud of the effort the kids put forth, especially to get bonus points for their team. We earned 36 pins and outplaced our seeds by a greater margin than any other team. They embodied our values of discipline, gratitude and toughness this weekend and now they get to be city champions forever.”

Top performers for coach Brad Engel’s runner-up Eagles were champions Ryan Porebski (29-6 at 220) and Grzegorz Krupa (28-6 at 285) and third-place finishers Lance Rosales (24-12 at 113), Lawrence Rosales (16-13 at 120), Patrick Diete (25-8 at 126) and Michelangelo Scalera (21-9 at 170). Finishing fourth was Miguel Guevera (13-6 at 106), Antoni Turek (19-12 at 138), Damian Pagan (15-12 at 145) and Grant Hansen (20-15 at 182) while Austin Dempsey (15-8 at 132) took sixth place.

Phoenix Military Academy turned in another good showing after winning titles the past two weeks at Lisle’s Melichar Invite and at the initial Sullivan Slam. Coach Daniel Curin’s Firebirds received titles from Jose Lua (20-4 at 120), Vin Moreno (23-1 at 126), Omar Ramirez (18-4 at 132) and Diego Mendez (20-5 at 138) while Rafael Soto (23-4 at 145) took second and Jimmy Lua (20-3 at 152) was third and Freddy Martinez (5-4 at 160) finished fifth. 

Other champions were Kenwood’s Joshua Butler (26-5 at 160), Kelly’s Frankie Cruz (19-2 at 170), Mather’s Jacob Scott (15-1 at 182) and Curie’s Anthony Garcia (20-3 at 195). 

Also placing second were Kennedy’s Phillip Lullo (22-3 at 138), Dorian Vaughns (31-4 at 160) and Raymond Begay (26-2 at 285), Kenwood’s Nehemiah Pinder (9-8 at 195) and Adam Achebe (26-3 at 220), Harlan’s Jonking Williams (10-2 at 106), Marine Leadership Academy’s David Esteban (10-2 at 113), Lindblom’s Zachary Carter (17-2 at 132), Gary Comer College Prep’s Donovan Hall (25-4 at 152) and Curie’s Percy Taylor (17-10 at 170).

Four individuals competed in title matches both this weekend and also in 2020. They are Butler, Ramirez, Begay and Soto.

The closest title matches included Coles edging Esteban 7-6 at 113, Ramirez beating Carter 9-8 at 132, Mendez getting past Lullo 3-2 at 138, Merrill beating Soto 9-7 at 145, Lopez prevailing over Hall 9-7 at 152, Porebski winning 3-0 over Achebe at 220 and Krupa edging Begay 3-1 at 285.

Winning titles by fall were Valentin at 106, Cruz at 170, Scott at 182 and Garcia at 195 while winning major decisions were Lua at 120 and Moreno at 126 and Butler claimed a 6-1 win over Vaughns at 160.

Others finishing in third place were Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy’s Daniel Jones (16-4 at 182) and Jamel Blackmond (20-1 at 195), Kennedy’s Victor Alvarado (17-1 at 106), Bowen’s Michael Alade (16-1 at 132), Kenwood’s Billy Torin (24-9 at 145), Northside College Prep’s Arlo Johnston (6-1 at 160), Mather’s Tofarati Fatoki (10-6 at 220) and Schurz’s Danny Ortiz (7-1 at 285).

Also placing fourth were Kenwood’s Cameron Griffin (21-10 at 120), Colin Claffey (13-8 at 132) and Christopher Guiger (17-10 at 152), Amundsen’s Issac Lane (13-9 at 160), Michael Wojatch (20-9 at 195) and Kevin Olson (20-4 at 220), Chicago Academy’s Antonio Ruiz (11-2 at 113), Washington’s Juan Jimenez (19-3 at 126) and Solorio Academy’s Antonio Padilla (15-7 at 170).

Additional fifth-place finishers were Gary Comer College Prep’s Elijah Akinwale (16-7 at 126) and Kenneth Barrett (17-16 at 182), Rickover Naval Academy’s Nathaniel Sales (18-6 at 120) and Osmar Mora (16-7 at 220), Chicago Academy’s Islam Khater (8-4 at 106), Lindblom’s Diego Salgado (21-3 at 113), Solorio Academy’s Roger Martinez (11-7 at 138), Richard Crane Medical Prep’s Jayden Kitchens (10-2 at 145), Senn’s Hassan Adogoke (14-2 at 152), Kenwood’s Demitri Walker-Hunt (26-11 at 170), Bowen’s Dimonte Smallwood (10-3 at 195) and Kelly’s Wyatt Qualls (9-5 at 285).

Four individuals tied for the most team points with 30, Butler, Lua, Porebski and Valentin while Finn had 29 points and Cruz, Garcia, Krupa, Lopez, Mendez, Ramirez and Scott had 28 team points. Gary Comer College Prep’s Kenneth Barrett had the most match points with 42 and Senn’s Hassan Adogoke was involved in eight falls, winning six of them.

The top two teams in the CPS will start the postseason at the Class 3A Maine South Regional in Park Ridge while Phoenix Military Academy will be in the Class 1A Chicago Hope Academy Regional and Kenwood hosts its own 2A regional.

Chicago Public Schools City Championship title matches:

106 – Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) over Jonking Williams (Harlan), F 5:35

113 – Evan Coles (Lane Tech) over David Esteban (Marine Leadership Academy), 7-6

120 – Jose Lua (Phoenix Military Academy) over James Zavala (Lane Tech), 16-4

126 – Vin Moreno (Phoenix Military Academy) over Matt Ridley (Lane Tech), 16-5

132 – Omar Ramirez (Phoenix Military Academy) over Zachary Carter (Lindblom), 9-8

138 – Diego Mendez (Phoenix Military Academy) over Phillip Lullo (Kennedy), 3-2

145 – Finn Merrill (Lane Tech) over Rafael Soto (Phoenix Military Academy), 9-7

152 – Fernando Lopez (Lane Tech) over Donovan Hall (Gary Comer College Prep), 9-7

160 – Joshua Butler (Kenwood) over Dorian Vaughns (Kennedy), 6-1

170 – Frankie Cruz (Kelly) over Percy Taylor (Curie), F 1:23

182 – Jacob Scott (Mather) over Gustavo Diaz (Lane Tech), F 1:49

195 – Anthony Garcia (Curie) over Nehemiah Pinder (Kenwood), F 1:23

220 – Ryan Porebski (Taft) over Adam Achebe (Kenwood), 3-0

285 – Grzegorz Krupa (Taft) over Raymond Begay (Kennedy), 3-1

Belvidere co-op captures Northern Illinois Conference 10 (NIC-10) championship

Belvidere North/Belvidere co-op had six champions and three second-place finishers who helped it to score 226 points and claim top honors at the Northern Illinois Conference 10 (NIC -10) Tournament, which was held at Guilford in Rockford.

Freeport took second with 188.5 points while Rockford East was third with 175 points. Harlem (110) was fourth and Hononegah (98) fifth in the nine-team tournament.

Leading the way for coach Danny Martinez’s champion Belvidere co-op squad were title winners Brayden Teunissen (38-4 at 106), Colin Young (38-5 at 138), Antonio Alvarado (35-4 at 145), Tayvione Wilson (29-12 at 170), A.J. Piloni (26-7 at 182) and Jake Bell (35-2 at 195). Taking second were Kamryn LaBeau (26-6 at 132), Jorge Hernandez (24-15 at 160) and T.J. Mitchell (24-15 at 220). Nick Taylor (29-14 at 152) was third while Angel Valdez (2-2 at 113) finished fourth.

Belvidere finished with a 25-3 dual team record, which was the most wins ever for the program. This was also the first conference championship for Belvidere since 1993. 

Top performers for coach Anthony Dedmond’s runner-up Pretzels were champions Cadence Diduch (16-3 at 120), Markel Baker (18-0 at 126), Jacob Redington (11-2 at 132), Jaylon Hail (16-3 at 152) and Tarrone Jackson (20-3 at 160) while Tyler Calam (12-4 at 145) and Donavyn Fernandez (5-5 at 170) both finished second. Placing third were Dayvion Fernandez (4-3 at 138) and Logan Schwartz (10-7 at 195) while Kyle Clem (3-4 at 182) finished fourth. Freeport won the NIC-10 title in 2020.

Rockford East had the other three champions, Peter Young (16-8 at 113), Joey Pineda (26-4 at 220) and Lee Smith (18-1 at 285). Also finishing second were Rockford East’s Caleb Hahn (9-1 at 120), Donald Cannon (19-3 at 126) and Sam Young (21-7 at 138),  Hononegah’s Angelina Cassioppi (18-6 at 106) and Elliot Diemel (15-6 at 152), Harlem’s Koletyn Zanoni (15-8 at 113) and Andrew Redmon (7-5 at 182), Jefferson’s Karlondo Dubois (17-7 at 195) and Auburns’ D’marion Love (22-4 at 285).

The closest title match was at 113 where Young edged Zanoni 11-10. The only other decision was Baker’s 8-1 win over Cannon at 126. Teunissen (106) and Hail (152) both won major decisions while Redington (132), Young (138), Alvarado (145), Jackson (160), Wilson (170), Piloni (182), Bell (195), Pineda (220) and Smith (285) all won titles by fall and Diduch (120) won by injury default.

Diduch (HM in 2A at 120) and Baker (second in 2A at 126) won their third titles in three finals appearances. Claiming their second titles of the season were Redington  (HM in 2A at 138), Alvarado (seventh in 3A at 145), Hail (HM in 2A at 152), Jackson (fifth in 2A at 152), Bell (HM in 3A at 195), Pineda (eighth in 2A at 220) and Smith (fifth in 2A at 285).

Baker, Alvarado and Hail were also NIC-10 champions in 2020 while Redington, Jackson and Piloni all won titles after taking second two years ago, Pineda went from third to first and Bell improved from fourth to first. And Baker and Calam both competed in their third NIC-10 title matches.

Also placing third were Harlem’s Ethan Hagermann (9-6 at 126), Ben Larsen (12-5 at 170) and Dylan Hogan (4-2 at 220), Rockford East’s Marshawn Spates (14-8 at 145), Mekhi Byrd (12-9 at 160) and Andrew Chartier (9-9 at 182) Guilford’s Rashad Hoel (4-3 at 113) and Gannon Buckner (7-1 at 285), Hononegah’s Connor Diemel (17-4 at 120) and Damien Huber (11-4 at 132) and Auburns’ Joseph Young (13-4 at 106).

Others finishing fourth were Harlem’s Justin Lewis (11-10 at 106), Myles Babcock (13-9 at 132) and Aidan Zacharuk (9-5 at 138), Guilford’s David Avila (12-5 at 120) and Noah Nelson (8-8 at 195), Boylan Catholic’s Esair Torres (10-9 at 126) and Austin Alonso (160), Hononegah’s Morgan Bartlett (13-9 at 170) and Isaak Smith (15-12 at 285), Jefferson’s Kane Vongkingkeu (2-2 at 145) and Rockford East’s Malik Ali (15-16 at 152).

Eight individuals tied for the most team points with 24. They were Alvarado, Bell, Jackson, Piloni, Pineda, Redington, Wilson and Young. Scoring 23 team points were Hail, Smith and Teunissen while Smith had the most match points with 43.

Belvidere co-op, honorable mention in Class 3A, will compete in the Dundee-Crown Regional along with Auburn, Guilford, Harlem and Hononegah as well as by No. 18 Huntley and honorable mention Hampshire. Freeport, No. 23 in Class 2A, will be in the rugged United Township Regional in East Moline along with No. 5 Geneseo, No. 8 Rock Island, No. 21 Rochelle, No. 24 Galesburg and honorable mention Sterling. And Rockford East, honorable mention in 2A, hosts a regional that includes Jefferson as well as No. 7 Aurora Christian, No. 14 Sycamore and honorable mention Kaneland.

Northern Illinois Conference 10 (NIC-10) championship matches: 

106 – Brayden Teunissen (Belvidere co-op) over Angelina Cassioppi (Hononegah), 11-0

113 – Peter Young (Rockford East) over Koletyn Zanoni (Harlem), 11-10

120 – Cadence Diduch (Freeport) over Caleb Hahn (Rockford East), Inj. Def. 1:43

126 – Markel Baker (Freeport) over Donald Cannon (Rockford East), 8-1

132 – Jacob Redington (Freeport) over Kamryn LaBeau (Belvidere co-op), F 3:41

138 – Colin Young (Belvidere co-op) over Sam Young (Rockford East), F 5:01

145 – Antonio Alvarado (Belvidere co-op) over Tyler Calam (Freeport), F 0:31

152 – Jaylon Hail (Freeport) over El liot Diemel (Hononegah), 14-5

160 – Tarrone Jackson (Freeport) over Jorge Hernandez (Belvidere co-op), F 2:12

170 – Tayvione Wilson (Belvidere co-op) over Donavyn Fernandez (Freeport), F 1:23

182 – A.J. Piloni (Belvidere co-op) over Andrew Redmon (Harlem), F 2:40

195 – Jake Bell (Belvidere co-op) over Karlondo Dubois (Jefferson), F 2:38

220 – Joey Pineda (Rockford East) over T.J. Mitchell (Belvidere co-op), F 3:32

285 – Lee Smith (Rockford East) over D’marion Love (Auburn), F 4:31

Marist claims East Suburban Catholic Conference title

Marist captured 10 first-place finishes to beat Joliet Catholic Academy by a 261-221 margin on Friday for top honors at the East Suburban Catholic Conference Championship, which was in Joliet. Marian Central Catholic, which won the ESCC title in 2020, took third place with 110 points while Notre Dame beat out St. Patrick 60-55 for fourth.

Coach Brendan Heffernan’s RedHawks, ranked second in Class 3A, placed all 14 of its competitors in the top four at their weights. The last time that the RedHawks had 10 champions in 14 weight classes in the competition was in 2014, when Heffernan’s team placed second in state. In 1987, when the program went 26-0 and won the state title under IWCOA hall of famer and National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois chapter inductee Mark Gervais, they had 10 of the 12 champions.

Winning titles for Marist were George Marinopoulos (27-7 at 106), Will Denny (24-7 at 120), Jesse Herrera (19-10 at 126), Owen Dunlap (12-1 at 138), Andrew Dado (22-6 at 152), Tommy Boland (29-5 at 160), Jacob Liberatore (14-0 at 170), Conor Phelan (24-8 at 182), Peter Marinopoulos (31-0 at 195) and Ghee Rachal (24-2 at 220).

Michael Esteban (30-8 at 113) took second while Ricky Ericksen (29-8 at 145) and Michael Maloney (15-7 at 285) placed third and Matthew Cornfield (19-11 at 132) was fourth.

“They had a great week of practice and it translated to an outstanding performance on the mat,” Heffernan said. “Jesse Herrera and Owen Dunlap had a couple of gutsy efforts in the finals, and the entire team was getting bonus points, which is what we are emphasizing this time of year. We are looking forward to continuing to get better this week and to continue our peaking process as the state series begins.”

Host Joliet Catholic Academy also took second in the tournament in 2020. Leading the way for coach Ryan Cumbee’s runner-up Hilltoppers, who are top-ranked in Class 2A, were champions Gylon Sims (24-4 at 113), Mason Alessio (25-5 at 145) and Dillan Johnson (25-0 at 285).

Nine individuals finished second for JCA, Noah Avina (18-17 at 106), Jake Hamiti (17-13 at 126), Owen O’Connor (19-9 at 138), Connor Cumbee (21-13 at 152), Isaac Clauson (10-11 at 160), Nico Roncheti (2-1 at 170), Caden Moore (11-3 at 182) and Owen Gerdes (21-8 at 195). Taking third were Shay Korhorn (10-6 at 120) and Logan Kuhel-Trimmer (17-7 at 132) while Hunter Powell (2-2 at 220) placed fourth.

The other champion was St. Patrick’s Sean Conway (42-1 at 132) while also finishing in second place were Marian Central Catholic’s Charlie Fitzgerald (19-3 at 120), Vance Williams (31-10 at 132) and Nik Jimenez (26-4 at 145), Nazareth Academy’s Gabe Kaminski (26-2 at 220) and Notre Dame’s Karl Schmalz (285). 

Some of the closest titles were Denny winning 4-3 over Fitzgerald at 120, Conway claiming a 5-2 victory over Williams at 132, Dunlap edging O’Connor 2-1 in two overtimes at 138 and Alessio getting past Renteria 3-2 at 145.

Claiming titles by fall were Boland (160), Phelan (182), Peter Marinopoulos (195) and Johnson (285) while George Marinopoulos (106), Liberatore (170) and Rachal (220) won major decisions and Sims (113), Herrera (126) and Dado (152) all won decisions by six points.

Rachal and Sims also won ESCC titles in 2020 while Dunlap was a champion in 2019. Korhorn was a champion in 2020 but took third after losing to Denny in the semifinals. Dunlap and Rachal are two-time champions and three-time finalists and also reaching the title mat for the third time was Conway, who captured his first title. Kuhel-Trimmer also earned a top-four medal in the competition for the third time and Alessio won a title after placing third in 2020.

Five RedHawks went from being second-place finishers in 2020 to champions this season, with Boland, Dado and Peter Marinopoulos joining Dunlap and Rachal in that club.

Conway (second in 2A at 132) won his fourth title while competing in his fifth finals while Johnson (first in 2A at 285) and Peter Marinopoulos (second in 3A at 195) both won their third title in three finals appearances. Winning their second titles of the season were Alessio (first in 2A at 145), Dunlap (ninth in 3A at 138), Boland (fifth in 3A at 160), Liberatore (sixth in 3A at 170) and Rachal (second in 3A at 220). 

Five ranked individuals were seeking a third title but lost in the finals to other ranked competitors. Fitzgerald (third in 1A at 120) lost 4-3 to Denny (fifth in 3A at 120), Williams (sixth in 1A at 132) lost 5-2 to Conway at 132, Jimenez (first in 1A at 145) fell 3-2 to Alessio at 145, Kaminski (fifth in 1A at 220) lost 11-3 to Rachal at 220 and Schmalz (fourth in 2A at 285) lost by fall to Johnson at 285.

Individuals winning their first titles of 2021-22 are George Marinopoulos (HM in 3A at 106), Sims (third in 2A at 113), Denny (fifth in 3A at 120), Herrera (HM in 3A at 126), Dado (HM in 3A at 152) and Phelan (182). O’Connor (second in 2A at 138) was seeking his first title but lost in two overtimes to Dunlap.

Others who captured third place were Marian Central Catholic’s Kaden Harman (28-8 at 113), Max Astacio (17-5 at 152) and Christian Stravroplos (182), Camel’s Matthew Lucansky (25-15 at 106) and Ethan Onan (23-13 at 138), Marian Catholic’s Joey Baranski (126) and Lloyd Mills (160), St. Patrick’s Gio Hernandez (33-11 at 170) and Alex Goworowski (220) and Notre Dame’s Alden Rice (195).

Also finishing fourth were Notre Dame’s Johnny Sheehy (18-16 at 106), Jack Shelvin (152), Quinn Mahoney (160) and Emmett Chapman (182), St. Patrick’s Olin Walker (31-13 at 113) and Niko Karamaniolas (22-13 at 126), Nazareth Academy’s Javaughn Jossell (13-9 at 120) and Joe Urso (4-2 at 285), Marian Central Catholic’s Jack Schmid (138) and Hunter Birkhoff (170) and Carmel’s Nicholas Asllani (145) and Camren Lang (8-11 at 195).

There was a three-way tie for the most team points with 22 between Johnson, Peter Marinopoulos and Phelan while Dado scored 21.5, Liberatore and George Marinopoulos had 21 and Alessio, Boland, Rachal and Sims all scored 20 points. Onan had the most match points with 33 while Herrera was next with 28.

Since Marist won its first ESCC title in 1981, it has captured 37 titles in the competition while Marian Central Catholic and Marian Catholic have both won two championships.

Among the ranked teams in the conference, Marist hosts a Class 3A regional, Joliet Catholic Academy joins No. 4 Lemont in the Class 2A LaSalle-Peru Regional and No. 24 Marian Central Catholic competes in the Class 1A Harvard Regional.

East Suburban Catholic Conference Championship title matches:

106 – George Marinopoulos (Marist) over Noah Avina (Joliet Catholic Academy), 10-1

113 – Gylon Sims (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Michael Esteban (Marist), 9-3

120 – Will Denny (Marist) over Charlie Fitzgerald (Marian Central Catholic), 4-3

126 – Jesse Herrera (Marist) over Jake Hamiti (Joliet Catholic Academy), 12-6

132 – Sean Conway (St. Patrick) over Vance Williams (Marian Central Catholic), 5-2

138 – Owen Dunlap (Marist) over Owen O’Connor (Joliet Catholic Academy), 2-1 2OT

145 – Mason Alessio (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Nik Jimenez (Marian Central Catholic), 3-2 

152 – Andrew Dado (Marist) over Connor Cumbee (Joliet Catholic Academy), 6-0

160 – Tommy Boland (Marist) over Isaac Clauson (Joliet Catholic Academy), F 1:16

170 – Jacob Liberatore (Marist) over Nico Roncheti (Joliet Catholic Academy), 13-1

182 – Conor Phelan (Marist) over Caden Moore (Joliet Catholic Academy), F 3:51

195 – Peter Marinopoulos (Marist) over Owen Gerdes (Joliet Catholic Academy), F 3:17

220 – Ghee Rachal (Marist) over Gabe Kaminski (Nazareth Academy), 11-3

285 – Dillan Johnson (Joliet Catholic Academy) over Karl Schmalz (Notre Dame), F 1:58

Geneseo prevails in Western Big 6 Conference Tournament

Geneseo emerged from a battle between three teams who were within10 points of each other during Friday’s Western Big 6 Conference Tournament, which was held at Wharton Field House in Moline.

The Maple Leafs edged Rock Island 197-194 while Moline took third place with 187 points. Galesburg (109.5) was fourth to round out the top-half of the eight-team competition.

Leading the way for coach Jon Murray’s champion Maple Leafs were title winners Zachary Montez (32-3 at 113), Carson Raya (27-11 at 132), Anthony Montez (38-2 at 160) and  Harrison Neumann (30-10 at 170) while Landon Shoemaker (17-12 at 195), Tim Stohl (28-9 at 220) and Levi Neumann (25-11 at 285) all took second place. Tim Sebastian (19-10 at 106) and Josh Hock (31-14 at 145) took third while Bennett Kreiner (24-14 at 120), Jack Snyder (27-18 at 138) and Aiden Damewood (22-12 at 152) all finished fourth. Nathan McAvoy (182) didn’t place but got a fall for his lone win and that victory was worth three points, which shows just how tight the competition was.

In the medal round, Geneseo collected six wins, recording a fall, two major decisions and a one-point decision in its four matches on the title mat and going 2-1 in head-to-head clashes with the Rocks, with Zachary Montez recording a fall in 2:54 in the 113 title match and Hock winning 2-1 to take third place at 145.

It was the fourth tournament title of the season for Geneseo, which is ranked fifth in Class 2A. Its other first-place finishes were at Rockford East, Morton and its own invite. The Maple Leafs also won the WB6 championship in 2020.

Top finishers for coach Joel Stockwell’s runner-up Rocks were champions Truth Vesey (31-5 at 106), Steven Marquez (27-5 at 182) and Andrew Marquez (31-12 at 195) while Samuel Niyonkuru (31-9 at 113), Daniel McGee (34-10 at 120), Aoci Bernard (41-3 at 138) and Matthew Cook (27-11 at 152) took second place. Finishing third was Israel McGowan (7-11 at 220) and placing fourth were Dominick Eckman-Allred (4-6 at 126), Tristan Willoughby (25-14 at 145), Amare Overton (4-5 at 160), Eian Marshall (170) and Eli Gustafson (26-18 at 285).

Rock Island, ranked eighth in Class 2A, just missed out on winning its third title adding to first-place finishes that it claimed at Lincoln and Midland, Iowa. The Rocks still had a chance in the final match when Gustafson led Sterling’s Alejandro Arellano in the final period but the Rock athlete got pinned to end the drama. While Rock Island had one more individual in the medal round than did Geneseo, it won four matches.

Turning in top performances for coach Jacob Ruettiger’s third-place Maroons were champions Kole Brower (37-1 at 138), Noah Tapia (39-2 at 145) and Jordan Langenderfer (12-5 at 152) and second-place finishers Alec Schmacht (30-8 at 126), Bradley Ledbetter (15-13 at 132) and James Soliz (31-12 at 182) while Jackson Sibley (25-8 at 113), Carmelo Cruz (13-7 at 120), Parker Terronez (12-6 at 160) and Pablo Perez (20-9 at 170) were third and Devon Jones (27-11 at 106) finished fourth.

Other champions were Galesburg’s Gauge Shipp (34-3 at 120), Rocky Almendarez (29-3 at 126) and Jeremiah Morris (33-3 at 220) and Alleman’s Charlie Jagusah (31-0 at 285). Also finishing in second place were Sterling’s Drew Kested (25-4 at 145) and Thomas Tate (17-4 at 160), Alleman’s Dalton Nimrick (29-5 at 106) and Quincy’s Kayden Garrett (33-10 at 170).

Closest championship matches included Almendarez winning 6-4 over Schmacht at 126, Harrison Neumann edging Garrett 6-5 at 170, Steven Marquez over Soliz 7-4 at 182 and Morris winning 5-2 over Stohl at 220.

Zachary Montez (113), Shipp (120), Langenderfer (152) and Jagusah (285) all won by falls, Vesey (106), Raya (132), Tapia (145), Anthony Montez (160), Andrew Marquez (195) all won by major decision and in the highest-scoring finals of the tournament, Brower captured a 15-10 decision over Bernard at 138.

Anthony Montez (second in 2A at 160) captured his fifth title in six finals appearances and Zachary Montez (second in 2A at 113) and Brower (first in 3A at 138) both claimed their fourth title in five finals and Morris (sixth in 2A at 220) also won his fourth title on the season in four finals trips.

Claiming third titles in 2021-22 were Vesey (tenth in 2A at 106), Shipp (seventh in 2A at 120), Almendarez (sixth in 2A at 126) and Tapia (second in 3A at 145) while Harrison Neumann (HM in 2A at 170) and Jagusah (first in 1A at 285) won their second titles. Taking first for the initial time this season were Raya (HM in 2A at 126), Langenderfer (152), Steven Marquez (tenth in 2A at 182) and Andrew Marquez (HM in 2A at 195). 

Bernard (fifth in 2A at 138) fell shy of his fifth title in his fifth finals tripwhile Kested (fourth in 2A at 145) was denied a fourth title in his fifth finals appearance.Garrett (HM in 3A at 170) came up a bit short in his attempt to win a third title in four finals trips,Stohl (seventh in 2A at 220) was denied a third title in five finals appearancesand Levi Neumann (HM in 2A at 285) fell shy of a third title in four finals trips.

Also finishing third were  Galesburg’s Santana Castellano (23-8 at 132), Che Thomas (26-13 at 152) and Emilio Torres (16-6 at 195), Quincy’s Eli Roberts (14-18 at 126) and Bryor Newbold (28-11 at 182), United Township’s Kayden Marolf (9-3 at 138) and Sterling’s Alejandro Arellano (16-10 at 285).

Other fourth-place finishers were Quincy’s Dylan Becker (19-21 at 132) and Gage Bringer (23-18 at 195), Sterling’s Chase Ullrich (9-14 at 182) and Diego Leal (18-17 at 220) and United Township’s Jordan Pauwels-Whitmarsh (16-10 at 113).

There was a tie for first in team points with 24 between Jagusah and Zachary Montez while Shipp was third with 23.5 and Langenderfer, Anthony Montez and Tapia tied for fourth with 23 team points. And there was a tie for most match points between Silver Streaks teammates Almendarez and Castellano with 38. 

Brower and Tapia also won WB6 titles in 2020 while Anthony Montez was second, Raya took third and Jagusah placed fourth last year. Nimrick also placed second in 2020 and Schmact and Garrett were third that year.

Five of the conference teams compete in the very competitive Class 2A United Township Regional in East Moline. They include No. 5 Geneseo, No. 8 Rock Island, No. 24 Galesburg, honorable mention Sterling and the hosts, who’ll be joined by No. 21 Rochelle and No. 23 Freeport. In Class 3A, Moline is at the Joliet West Regional while Quincy hosts a regional, which both feature a top-25 squad. And in Class 1A, Alleman will be in the Sherrard Regional, which includes four top-25 teams.

Western Big 6 Conference Tournament championship matches:

106 – Truth Vesey (Rock Island) over Dalton Nimrick (Alleman), 8-0

113 – Zachary Montez (Geneseo) over Samuel Niyonkuru (Rock Island), F 2:54

120 – Gauge Shipp (Galesburg) over Daniel McGhee (Rock Island), F 2:57

126 – Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) over Alec Schmacht (Moline), 6-4

132 – Carson Raya (Geneseo) over Bradley Ledbetter (Moline), 15-4

138 – Kole Brower (Moline) over Aoci Bernard (Rock Island), 15-10

145 – Noah Tapia (Moline) over Drew Kested (Sterling), 11-0

152 – Jordan Langenderfer (Moline) over Matthew Cook (Rock Island), F 3:48

160 – Anthony Montez (Geneseo) over Thomas Tate (Sterling), 12-0

170 – Harrison Neumann (Geneseo) over Kayden Garrett (Quincy), 6-5

182 – Steven Marquez (Rock Island) over James Soliz (Moline), 7-4

195 – Andrew Marquez (Rock Island) over Landon Shoemaker (Geneseo), 12-4

220 – Jeremiah Morris (Galesburg) over Tim Stohl (Geneseo), 5-2

285 – Charlie Jagusah (Alleman) over Levi Neumann (Geneseo), F 2:44

Oak Park and River Forest girls first in West Suburban Conference Tournament

Oak Park and River Forest’s girls team continued its winning ways by capturing top honors in the West Suburban Conference Tournament that was held in Addison.

The Huskies scored 186 points to capture their third title in the past three weeks, adding to first-place finishes at their own invite as well as at Hoffman Estates.

Morton finished second with 136.5 points while Glenbard West edged host Addison Trail 105-102 for third-place in the eight-team competition

Leading the way for coach Fred Arkin’s Huskies were champions Bentley Hills (11-3 at 100), Ana Banuelos (3-5 at 105), Camila Neuman (17-0 at 110), Bella Tyma (10-4 at 135), Keydy Peralta (7-1 at 145), Louise Calkins (155), Trinity White (15-0 at 170) and Sarah Epshtein (9-1 at 235). Mayan Akali (140) and Tamera Erving (6-6 at 235) placed second, Maria Diaz (11-5 at 120) was third and Pearl Lacey (8-9 at 125) finished fourth.

Top performers for Morton were Ximena Juarez (120), Nayeli Rodriguez (125), Karla Topete (130) and Diana Rodriguez (190) while Jennifer Villagomez (110), Neida Arreola (115) and Faith Comas (135) took second. Finishing third were Aseel Jadallah (190) while Alejandra Velazquez (190) and Sofia De La Sancha (235) claimed fourth place.

Other champions were Addison Trail’s Nina Matthews (7-2 at 115) and Glenbard West’s Ani Navarro (21-1 at 140) while Addison Trail’s Autumn Oregon-Williams (100), Stephany Mondragon (9-6 at 120) and Emily Rivera (145) and Glenbard West’s Kaylie Delahanty (10-9 at 125), Khatija Ahmed (14-4 at 130), Miyalinna DeJesus (155) and Ella Rejman (16-6 at 190) and Downers Grove North’s Kayleigh Loo (170) took second place.

Navarro and Nayeli Rodriguez tied for the most team points with 26 while Topete had 25.5 points. Tying with 24 points were Matthews, Neuman, Diana Rodriguez and Tyma. Neuman had the most match points with 33 while Tyma was next with 28 points.

Also finishing third were Addison Trail’s Veronica Cosio (9-4 at 110), Lluvia Sanchez (3-2 at 125), Nancy Perez (130) and Alondra Sandoval (140), Glenbard West’s Sydney Nimsakont (17-9 at 115) and Aridiana Hernandez (15-7 at 135), Willowbrook’s Jayde Keaty (145), Proviso East’s Hayle Ortega (170) and Downers Grove South’s Brianna Fellows (235).

Others who took fourth were Downers Grove South’s Ariana Reyes (115) and Azaria Alexander (130), Downers Grove North’s Natalia Cruz (135) and Dana Romonosky (140), Glenbard West’s Azul Alejandre (8-8 at 110) and Addison Trail’s Nelly Sanchez (120).

West Suburban Conference Tournament girls championship matches:

100 – Bentley Hills (Oak Park and River Forest) over Autumn Oregon-Williams (Addison Trail), F 0:25

105 – Ana Banuelos (Oak Park and River Forest), Bye

110 – Camila Neuman (Oak Park and River Forest) over Jennifer Villagomez (Morton), 13-7 (pool)

115 – Nina Matthews (Addison Trail) over Neida Arreola (Morton), F 5:56

120 – Ximena Juarez (Morton) over Stephany Mondragon (Addison Trail), F 3:31

125 – Nayeli Rodriguez (Morton) over Kaylie Delahanty (Glenbard West), F 1:17 (pool)

130 – Karla Topete (Morton) over Khatija Ahmed (Glenbard West), F 4:50 (pool)

135 – Bella Tyma (Oak Park and River Forest) over Faith Comas (Morton), 10-7 (pool)

140 – Ani Navarro (Glenbard West) over Mayan Alkali (Oak Park and River Forest), F 0:25 (pool)

145 – Keydy Peralta (Oak Park and River Forest) over Emily Rivera (Addison Trail), F 1:50 (pool)

155 – Louise Calkins (Oak Park and River Forest) over Miyalinna DeJesus (Glenbard West), F 5:14

170 – Trinity White (Oak Park and River Forest) over Kayleigh Loo (Downers Grove North), F 3:08 (pool)

190 – Diana Rodriguez (Morton) over Ella Rejman (Glenbard West), F 3:40

235 – Sarah Epshtein (Oak Park and River Forest) over Tamera Ewing (Oak Park and River Forest), 7-2

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