Geneseo three-peats at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invite 

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

After serving strictly as an assistant coach throughout his 30-plus year career, Tom Rusk had never had the opportunity to be a head coach. But when 2023 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Murray retired last season after leading Geneseo since 2002, which included five trips to the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals that were highlighted by second-place finishes to Montini Catholic in both 2013 and 2014, longtime assistant Rusk was selected as his successor.

In his first tournament leading Geneseo as its new head coach, Rusk was able to see his Maple Leafs capture another championship at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invitational as they won the 29-team competition for the third-straight year and for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

But while Geneseo only sent two individuals to the title mats and only had one champion, it got scoring contributions from 12 of its 14 competitors and 10 of those placed in the top-eight at their weights to give it 191 points, which was 18 more than the runner-up, St. Patrick, who scored 173 points to edge third-place Mahomet-Seymour, who finished with 171.5 points.

“It makes a huge difference when we have 14 guys wrestling and we score points in all 14 weight classes,” Rusk said. “That’s what we need to do and that’s what our goal is. We would like everybody to score quite a bit of points in every weight class, but as long as everybody does their job and gets a few points here or there, in a tournament like this, it all comes out at the end. We had a lot of highs and a lot of lows today, a lot. And that’s what these big tournaments are going to give you. Opportunities to do some really good things and some opportunities to really falter. And we had both. But the guys came together as a team, put it together, and got us to where we were at.”

The lone champion for the Maple Leafs was Josh Stahl (285), who led all title winners with 32 team points. Also for Geneseo, Izaac Gaines (175) took second place, Brycen Fahnestock (106) and Tad Moore (113) both finished fourth, Kie Smith (150) and Colten Mooney (215) took fifth place and Malaki Jackson (144) and Grady Hull (157) both claimed sixth place. 

Harrison Hill (190) placed seventh and Pheonix Heller (126) finished eighth while Landen Vincent (138) and Dawson Hull (165) also scored points and Esref Onder (120), Elliott Kreiner (132) and Dominic Ritter (190) also contributed to the championship cause.

One key individual who the Maple Leafs didn’t have in their lineup but will have back is Kye Weinzierl, who lost to IC Catholic Prep’s Brody Kelly in last year’s IHSA Class 2A Finals at 175.

“And it was nice to have the guys step up,” Rusk said. “We’re still limping into the season a little bit. We still have some football injuries. Kye Weinzierl is still not here and guys stepped up and did their job in that absence. We’ve got other football guys and our 215 and heavyweight are both football players who have only been practicing three days. They’re coming and we’re going in the right direction. It’s really nice when you don’t have the best tournament, but you can still come out winning, and we get to go back to the room and work on a lot of stuff. This is my first time ever being a head coach. I started in 1992 in Orion. It feels good. The guys work hard, and you know, things didn’t change much in Geneseo. We have the same staff that we had other than Jon not being there and we do the same stuff we work really hard.”

Leading the way for coach Patrick Duggan’s runner-up Shamrocks were champions Danny Goodwin (120) and Van Grasser (175) and second-place finishers Jack Koenig (113) and Calvin Stahl (126). Other top placewinners for St. Patrick were Patrick Hulne (fourth at 144), Andrew Rieger (fifth at 165) and Josh Jimenez (eighth at 132). 

Third-place Mahomet-Seymour, whose coach Rob Ledin received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter last year, had the most title winners with three. They were Gideon Hayter (132), Talon Decker (165) and Marco Casillas (190), with Casillas receiving the E-Rab Giardini Invitational’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Other top finishers for the Bulldogs were Garrett Waisath (third at 150), Justus Vrona (fifth at 144), Myles Hartzler (sixth at 106), Noah Meints (sixth at 120), Grant Morphew (eighth at 106), Renn Vandeveer (eighth at 150) and Christopher Dill (eighth at 175).

Host Rockford East (153.5) claimed fourth place, Morris (147) finished fifth and one of the two Wisconsin teams in the field, Belmont/ Platteville (135) took sixth place. The rest of the top-10 teams were Johnsburg (126), Freeport (122.5), Hampshire (111.5) and Richmond-Burton (106.5).

Morris also had two title winners, Paxton Valentine (126) and Carter Skoff (150). Additional champions were Winnebago’s Cam Whitehead (106), Freeport’s Treyden Diduch (113), Crystal Lake South’s Nathan Randle (138), Belmont/ Platteville’s Dylan Weigel (144), Rockford East’s Ty Smart (157) and Metamora’s Jayden Lambert (215).

Second-place finishes were also turned in by Morris’ Brock Claypool (138) and Malachi Congo (215), Prairie Ridge’s Tymen Robinson (106), North Boone’s Gabe Marella (120), Belvidere North’s AJ Ramirez (132), Belvidere’s Landon VanAcker (144), Rockford East’s Dana Wickson (150), Metamora’s Grady Neal (157), Belmont/ Platteville’s Oliver Harcus (165), Richmond-Burton’s Blake Livdahl (190) and Freeport’s Kareem Odeh (285).

Eight of the title matches were decisions with the closest one being at 157 where Smart prevailed 10-9 over Neal. Other championship matches that were decided by a few points included Randle beating Claypool 9-6 at 138, Weigel capturing a 6-3 victory over VanAcker at 144, Stahl winning 4-1 over Odeh at 285 and Valentine defeating Stahl 4-0 at 126. 

Two of the championship matches featured two returning state medalists, with Casillas winning 7-1 over Livdahl at 190 and Skoff recording a fall in 3:10 over Wickson at 150.

Beside Stahl, the others in the top-10 in team points were Skoff (31.5), Diduch (31), Whitehead (31), Casillas (30), Goodwin (29.5), Grasser (29), Valentine (28.5), Congo (28), Decker (28) and Hampshire’s Knox Homola (28), who took third at 285 and was the only individual with six falls.

Belmont/ Platteville’s Tyler Kisamore had the most total points with 97 while Goodwin ranked second with 85 points and Goodwin also was one of four individuals who led the way with three wins by technical fall, joining Morris’ Parker Barry (132), Crystal Lake South’s Aiden Marrello (165) and Kisamore (157), with the last three of those all finishing in third place. 

Additional third-place finishers were Rockford East’s Jace Scribner (106) and Sebastian Abwe (113), Johnsburg’s Chase Vogel (120) and Duke Mays (190), Prairie Ridge’s Aiden Rodriguez (175) and Frank Matviychuk (215), Rochelle’s Aidan Lopez (126), Triad’s Will Kelly (138) and Metamora’s Connor Graham (144).

Also claiming fourth-place finishes were Johnsburg’s Tanner Hansen (150) and Kainoa Ancog (157), Rochelle’s Freddie Hernandez (120), Triad’s Colin Crouch (126), Rockford East’s Victor Onofre (132), Belmont/ Platteville’s Briggs Weigel (138), United Township’s Ramadene Gani (165), Thornton Township’s Brandon Dumas (175), Winnebago’s Johnny Strauss (190), Harlem’s Chandler Jack (215) and Richmond-Burton’s Breckin Campbell (285). 

Others who finished in fifth place were Zion-Benton’s Gabe Poyer (113) and Dylan Solesky (138), Freeport’s Sajjad Abdulrazzaq (157) and Sabastian Murray (285), Crystal Lake South’s Christopher Talbert (106), Hampshire’s Andrew Salmieri (120), Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson (126), Johnsburg’s Chase Davis (132), United Township’s Travis Kinkead (175) and Metea Valley’s Bohdan Postoroniuk (190).

Additional sixth-place finishers were Hampshire’s Aric Abbott (150) and Max Oleferchik (285), North Boone’s Drew Patel (113), Northridge Prep’s Sky Shang (126), Triad’s Cole Pilliard (132), Belvidere North’s Bryson Teunissen (138), Thornton Township’s Mark Bew (165), Metea Valley’s Lucas Marcoux (175), Metamora’s Mark Aeschliman (190) and Freeport’s Israel Goodman (215).

Here’s a look at the champions and their weight classes at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invitational

106 – Cam Whitehead, Winnebago

Cam Whitehead had a successful freshman season for Winnebago in 2024-2025 as he was a runner-up in the Class 1A Byron Regional and won his opener in the Oregon Sectional before finishing with a 34-13 record after falling a bit shy of a trip to state. Ranked sixth in Class 1A at 106 by Illinois Best Weekly, he hopes that a strong performance in winning the 106 title at Rockford East’s Giardini Invite is the catalyst to an even more successful sophomore season. 

The lone finalist and one of two medal winners for coach Joe Flynn’s Indians, Whitehead claimed top honors at 106 with a win by technical fall in 1:43 over Prairie Ridge sophomore Tymen Robinson. He opened with a quick pin and then got a victory by technical fall in the quarterfinals before assuring his spot on the title mat by recording a pin in 5:10 over Rockford East freshman Jace Scribner in the semifinals. He tied Freeport’s Treyden Diduch for third place for the most team points with 31, which was just one point behind the leader in that category, Geneseo’s Josh Stahl (285). 

“It feels good,” Whitehead said. “I’ve got to work hard and thanks to my coaches and teammates. I’ve just got to go back next year and win it again. I got help from my coaches from the postseason and I’ve got good teammates to help me get better. I just had to keep it high-paced, keep going and just had to dominate the match.”

Robinson, the lone finalist but one of three who finished in the top three for coach Ross Ryan’s Wolves, opened with a fall, followed with a major decision and then edged Geneseo sophomore Brycen Fahnestock 8-6 in the semifinals. Scribner captured third place with an 11-7 decision over Fahnestock and in the fifth-place match, Crystal Lake South junior Christopher Talbert was a winner by fall in 4:36 over Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Myles Hartzler.

113 – Treyden Diduch, Freeport

Treyden Diduch definitely got to learn from one of the very best in the sport since his sister Cadence was one of first three-time IHSA champions and now is competing at the University of Iowa. While admitting that their styles are different, being able to watch his sister become one of the trendsetters in her sport definitely has inspired him to make a mark of his own and the Freeport sophomore hopes to do just that this season after advancing to the IHSA Class 2A Finals and finishing 35-8 while falling a bit short of winning a medal in his debut season.

Diduch, ranked second at 106 in 2A by Illinois Best Weekly, is certainly off to a great start after winning the Giardini Invite title at 113 with a fall in 1:41 over St. Patrick junior Jack Koenig, who was a defending champion in the tournament. Diduch was one of two finalists and one of top-six finishers who helped coach Nathan Arendt’s Pretzels take eighth place in the 29-team competition. After opening with a pin, he was a winner by technical fall in his next two matches, securing his spot on the 113 title mat with a win in 3:20 over Geneseo freshman Tad Moore. He tied Winnebago’s Cam Whitehead for the third-most team points with 31, which put them both just one point behind the tournament leader, Geneseo’s Josh Stahl (285). 

“This year I want to try and place at state, that’s all I really want to do,” Diduch said. “If I can win it, that would be the best option. Yeah it’s fun watching her (Cadence) wrestle, she’s taught me a lot about my wrestling. I’ve learned from her and she’s learned from me and me and her have like almost completely different styles, she’s passive, I’m aggressive so we learn from each other. I’ve got a lot to live up to if I want to be as good as her since she’s one of the best and my family, they’ve helped me a lot. It would be pretty cool to have two Didich state champions in the room, it’s definitely a goal. We had our heavyweight (Kareem Odeh) out there and he got second. We’re not exactly drilling partners, but I like to help him any way I can. I mean, I’m a small dude, so I don’t really know much about big guy wrestling, but also it’s kind of good to just have someone in the room to be the tip of the sword and just break through.” 

Koenig, who went 44-10 and qualified for state for the first time last season and then fell one win shy of a medal at 106, is ranked ninth in 3A at 113. He was one of four finalists and six top-five finishers who helped coach Patrick Duggan’s Shamrocks to edge Mahomet-Seymour 173-171.5 for second place, which was a big move from placing fifth a year ago. After getting a win by technical fall in his opener, Koenig followed with two falls, with the latter one coming in 2:55 over North Boone sophomore Drew Patel in the semifinals. For third place, Rockford East sophomore Sebastian Abwe won by fall in 3:13 over Moore. And in the fifth-place match, Zion-Benton freshman Gabe Poyer captured a 13-0 major decision over Patel.

120 – Danny Goodwin, St. Patrick 

Danny Goodwin has already made plenty of history at St. Patrick by finishing fifth at 106 in 2024 and then advancing to the IHSA Class 2A title match at 113 last season, where he lost 4-1 by sudden victory to Montini Catholic’s Allen Woo to conclude a 45-5 season. He’s only the third Shamrock to reach the state title mat, joining 1985 AA champion Mike Mroczek and two-time finalist and 2006 AA champion Joe Fagiano. The senior would like to see him and Van Grasser  join Sean Conway as the program’s only three-time medalists and he’d also like to end his career by returning to the finals and becoming the third individual from his school to win a state title. He’s off to a good start after winning both tournaments he’s been in, Marmion Academy and the E-Rab Giardini Invite, with this being his third-straight championship at Rockford East.

Goodwin, ranked fifth at 120 in 3A by Illinois Best Weekly, three-peated in the invite after capturing a 19-5 major decision over North Boone sophomore Gabe Marella in the 120 finals. He joined Van Grasser (175) as one of his team’s two champions and also was one of four finalists for coach Patrick Duggan’s second-place Shamrocks and he just missed winning all four of his matches by technical fall. He earned his spot on the 120 title mat with a victory in 3:56 over Johnsburg sophomore Chase Vogel.  He was one of only four individuals who had three victories by technical fall and pulled off that feat in the least time, in 8:10. He scored a tournament-high 24 points in his semifinals victory and scored 19 or more points in each match, had the second-most total match points with 85 and ranked sixth in team points with 29.5.

“We’re not the happiest about it, we came in here looking to win it, we know that we have the guys and the talent to win this tournament,” Goodwin said. “So overall, we’re okay with the second place, but we are definitely not satisfied. (Being second at state) it’s been a fun ride and made it there and then I was also able to make the Fargo finals, as well, and was able to walk down those steps and that felt amazing. I ended up losing to one of my own teammates, but it was a fun experience. It was Caleb Pratt, one of my friends, so it was fun. But it just teaches me that once you’ve been in the finals and you’ve been in those high moments, tournaments throughout the year, the finals, they try to make it super big and you have the walkouts and the smoke and everything, it doesn’t really affect me. I stay focused and I know I go out there to complete my job. The thing that I’ve been working on really is just scoring points, continuing to chain my offense. I always try to go out there and tech the kid and score as many takedowns as I can. Unfortunately, in the finals, I wasn’t too happy with it, I won by 14, I was looking for the tech. And I am currently committed to George Mason University right now.” 

Marella was the lone finalist and one of two top-six medalists for coach Jason Mamer-Cox’s Vikings. He went 34-16 during his freshman season but fell one win shy of advancing to state from the Class 1A Oregon Sectional. He opened with a win by technical fall, followed with a pin and then claimed an 8-0 major decision over Mahomet-Seymour freshman Noah Meints in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Vogel, who was a state qualifier last year and is ranked fifth at 120 in Class 1A, won a 5-1 decision over Rochelle senior Freddie Hernandez. And for fifth place, Hampshire senior Andrew Salmieri captured an 11-0 major decision over Meints.

126 – Paxton Valentine, Morris

Paxton Valentine and his Morris teammates turned in a very good performance as one the new teams in the field. He was one of two champions and four finalists and the team also had a third-place finisher out of the eight entrants that coach Lenny Tryer’s team brought to the invite. Those good finishes helped Morris to score 147 points, which was good for a fifth-place finish. The junior did his part by taking top honors at 126 with a 4-0 decision over St. Patrick senior Calvin Stahl. He also scored 28.5 team points, which ranked him eighth among all competitors.

Valentine went 43-8 and placed fifth in 2A at 113 last season and is ranked sixth at 126 in 2A by Illinois Best Weekly. He experienced the full spectrum of victories in his title run by opening with a win by technical fall, following that with a pin and then earned his spot on the 126 title mat with a 14-1 major decision over Rochelle sophomore Aidan Lopez, who’s ranked ninth in 2A at 126. Senior Carter Skoff (150) joined him as a champion to help their team be one of three schools who had two or more title winners with Mahomet-Seymour (3) and St. Patrick (2) the others.

“Yeah, the hard work pays off for sure,” Valentine said. “Everyone gets in the room, they work their butts off, they do what coach says and you can tell, because the performance shows. I work hard, I get in the room. Don’t ask questions on what coach wants me to work on, I just get to work, and that’s what happens. We had about five guys missing and we only brought eight kids, so it feels good. A couple of these guys have only been in the room for a week, and they’re already placing. (Winning a title) It felt good. It’s showing me that all the hard work that I put in over the summer, it paid off. Feels good to set the tone early and get these big matches out of the way and win some of them.”

Stahl, who qualified for state last season and also in 2023, was one of four finalists for coach Patrick Duggan’s Shamrocks, who improved upon a fifth-place showing last season by edging Mahomet-Seymour to claim second place. He recorded opening-period falls in his first two matches and then advanced to the 126 finals with a 6-0 decision over Richmon-Burton sophomore Lelan Nelson. In the third-place match, Lopez won a 9-3 decision over Triad sophomore Colin Crouch, who’s ranked 10th in 2A at 120. And for fifth place, Nelson won by fall in 1:28 over Northridge Prep’s Sky Shang. Nelson took fifth at 106 in 1A last season while his brother Emmett, a four-time medalist and three-time finalist, won his first state title at 144. 

132 – Gideon Hayter, Mahomet-Seymour

Gideon Hayter fell one win shy of earning a medal in Class 2A at 113 when he advanced to the IHSA Finals for the first time and he finished with a 39-17 record but then helped the Bulldogs to take fourth place at the Class 2A Dual Team Finals one week later. Now the Mahomet-Seymour junior is not only looking to make another trip to state, both individually and as a team, but also to end up on the awards stand after his close call and he’s off to a good start toward that goal after following up on a sixth-place finish at Marmion Academy by capturing the 132 title at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational with a 7-0 decision over Belvidere North junior AJ Ramirez.

Hayter was joined by Talon Decker (165) and Outstanding Wrestler Award winner Marco Casillas (190) to give the Bulldogs a tournament-high three title winners. Mahomet-Seymour, whose coach, Rob Ledin, received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter after last season, ended up taking third place, finishing just 1.5 points behind runner-up St. Patrick. Hayter opened with a fall before winning a 3-2 decision over Richmond-Burton freshman Wyatt Franckowiak in the quarterfinals. He earned his spot in the 132 finals with a 13-3 major decision over Johnsburg’s Chase Davis in the semifinals.

“It’s just so exciting and it’s just everything I’ve been working for,” Hayter said. “And I’m just so grateful that I have so many people to support me. And I love my parents and I’m just thankful to be here. It’s just a good program. We all hold each other accountable, and we’re all working every day. He (Rob Ledin) runs a good program, keeps everything organized, and he just loves the sport. (To improve himself) Just work 100 percent on and off the mat and just grind outside of practice. Focus on school and just don’t get sidetracked. I’m glad for all my teammates. We all have the same goal in mind. We’re just all grateful to compete and we all love the sport. Just pushing each other and being positive, it’s just helped our team improve a lot.” 

Ramirez, the lone finalist for coach Ronald Hamilton’s Blue Thunder, made the largest seed-place difference of any finalist when improved 16 positions from his 18th-seed to advance to the 132 title match. He won a pair of major decisions, as well as two narrow decisions, in order to get to the championship match and he assured his spot there by capturing a 6-4 decision over Triad freshman Cole Pilliard in the semifinals. Morris sophomore Parker Barry overcame the largest seed-place difference of 21 positions to claim third place with a 10-3 decision over Rockford East junior Victor Onofre, who was one of five individuals who had five or more pins, and in the fifth-place match, Davis was a winner by fall in 1:41 over Pilliard.

138 – Nathan Randle, Crystal Lake South

Nathan Randle was able to experience the great excitement of being a freshman who got the opportunity to not only compete for a state title in 2023 but also nearly winning one in his initial state trip when he dropped a 3-2 decision to Glenwood’s Drew Davis in the Class 2A title match at 113 while competing for Wauconda. The Crystal Lake South senior has been able to return to state the past two years but unable to get back on the awards stand. He’s hopeful that he can end his high school career with one more title run and he’s off to a good start after winning tournament titles at Vernon Hills and Rockford East. He repeated as a champion of the E-Rab Giardini Invite with a 9-6 decision over Morris junior Brock Claypool in the 138 title match.

Randle, the lone champion and finalist as well as one of three top-five finishers for coach Trevor Jauch’s Gators, is ranked second at 138 in Class 2A by Illinois Best Weekly. He’s hopeful that he can become the fourth individual from his school to win a state championship. He opened his quest for another title at the Giardini with a pair of victories by technical fall and he earned his spot in the 138 championship match with an 8-2 decision over Triad senior Will Kelly. 

“It’s a great tournament and everyone’s super competitive here,” Randle said. “I mean, my performance yesterday, I only had one match, and it was good. Today I had two and they were both tough matches, tough opponents. And you know, I hope to see them at state. Honestly, just taking a break from the sport for a little while. I mean, I only wrestled a couple of times over summer and I do think that helped me. Taking a break from the sport, getting away from it, just having a life outside of this. My coaches are great and I put a lot of trust in them. I try to talk with them about wrestling all the time, you know, just being around it. And just them practicing with me and, you know, putting their knowledge in the mind. It’s just amazing to be around. I’m super ready for this year.” 

Claypool, a state qualifier who had a 39-7 record last season and is ranked fifth at 138 in 2A, was one of four finalists and five top-three placers for coach Lenny Tryner’s Morris team, which was new to the field this season and surprised some with their fifth-place. He opened with a major decision and followed with a fall and then another major decision in the semifinals where he won by a 12-4 score over Belmont/ Platteville sophomore Briggs Weigel. Kelly, a two-time state qualifier who is ranked eight in 2A at 138, claimed third by winning 9-6 in sudden victory over Weigel. And for fifth place, Zion-Benton sophomore Dylan Solesky won a 16-6 major decision over Belvidere North senior Bryson Teunissen.   

144 – Dylan Weigel, Belmont/ Platteville

Dylan Weigel began his successful junior season by winning a title at Rockford East’s Giardini Invite and he concluded it by becoming a Wisconsin Division 2 runner-up. Once again, he’s ranked among the top individuals in his division and weight class so he should have a good opportunity to conclude his high school career with a state title. He repeated as a champion at Rockford East by capturing a 6-3 decision over Belvidere senior Landon VanAcker in the 144 finals.

Weigel was the lone champion, one of two finalists and four top-four finishers for the co-op team for Wisconsin’s Belmont and Platteville. He’s coached by Emeric Williams, who competed at Lockport Township for his father, 2015 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Joe Williams, who also happened to be in attendance at the competition. Weigel opened with a fall and a major decision before earning his spot on the 144 championship mat by capturing an 11-6 decision over Mahomet-Seymour senior Justus Vrona in the semifinals.

VanAcker, the lone medal winner for coach Sean Donnelly’s Bucs, was a state qualifier last season and finished with a 26-12 record and is now ranked fifth in Class 2A at 144 by Illinois Best Weekly. He recorded opening-period falls in his first two matches before claiming a 4-3 decision over St. Patrick junior Patrick Hulne to earn his spot in the 144 finals. In the third-place match, Metamora senior Connor Graham, who’s ranked ninth in 2A at 144, won a 14-7 decision over Hulne, who’s ranked 9th in 3A at 138. Vrona, a state qualifier the last two years who’s 10th-ranked in 2A at 144, claimed fifth place by medical forfeit over Geneseo senior Malaki Jackson, who’s a three-time state qualifier.

150 – Carter Skoff, Morris

Carter Skoff and Paxton Valentine both claimed fifth-place finishes in their first trips to the IHSA Class 2A Finals last season and they hope to move up on the awards stand this season. They both also won titles at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational to help Morris turn in a strong fifth-place showing as a new entrant to the field. The Morris senior, who’s ranked fourth in 2A at 150 by Illinois Best Weekly, won a clash of individuals who placed fifth at state last year when he won by fall in 3:10 over Rockford East senior Dana Wickson in the 150 championship match.

Skoff, who was one of four finalists and five individuals who placed third or better for coach Lenny Tryner’s Morris team, finished with a 51-5 record last season after winning three matches in the wrestlebacks to claim fifth place at 144. He began his title run with a quick pin and then added a win by technical fall before recording another pin, this time in 1:32, over Johnsburg’s Tanner Hansen in the semifinals, to advance to the 150 title mat. He had the second-most team points in the event with 31.5, which was one-half point less than Geneseo’s Josh Stahl (285).

“We dropped a couple tournaments last year trying to get some more better matches since you know these are the kids we’re going to see at sectionals so we want to wrestle them,” Skoff said. “I like how we work hard, we try to push each other and we try to keep ourselves going in the right direction and if we step out of line, we try to get ourselves back in line, you know, just try to be a big team. I’m working on my shots and I’m trying to finish all my shots I get to. If I touch their leg, I’m trying to finish that. I’m trying to get better at hand-finding and just be a lot better scrambler, too. I like how dedicated we are to each other, our school, everyone.”

Wickson, a two-time state qualifier who took fifth place in 2A at 150 last season when he finished with a 36-7 record, joined 157 champion Ty Smart as one of the two finalists and five individuals who placed fourth or better for coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs, who scored 153.5 points to claim fourth place in their own invite. Wickson, who’s ranked fifth in 2A at 150, recorded falls in his other three matches, winning in 3:05 over Hampshire senior Aric Abbott in the semifinals. It was the third time that the E-Rabs senior lost in a championship match in his own invite. For third place, Mahomet-Seymour junior Garrett Waisath won a 4-1 decision over Hansen. And Geneseo junior Kie Smith claimed fifth place by medical forfeit over Abbott.

157 – Ty Smart, Rockford East

Ty Smart was part of a special season at Rockford East in 2024-2025 since his program finished with three IHSA Class 2A medalists with senior Donald Cannon becoming the school’s second three-time medalist after taking second at 138, Dana Wickson finished fifth at 150 and Smart took fifth place at 157 as the earned all-state honors for the first time. Now they want to join three others beside Cannon who won more than one state medal. While both seniors made the finals at their own Giardini Invite, Smart was the E-Rabs’ lone champion after prevailing with a 10-9 decision over Metamora junior Grady Neal for the 157 championship, which was arguably the most dramatic title match on a day where eight of those resulted in decisions.

Smart, who’s ranked second in 2A at 157 by Illinois Best Weekly and finished with a 40-14 record in his second state appearance, was one of five individuals who finished fourth or better to help coach Gene Lee’s E-Rabs to claim a fourth-place finish in their invitational. He opened with a fall before claiming a 19-13 decision in the quarterfinals and then earned his spot on the 157 title mat by getting a win by technical fall in 3:22 over Freeport senior Sajjad Abdulrazzaq.

“I’ve been wanting to win this tournament for the last four years and I finally did it,” Smart said. “I feel like I have something to prove here at home, my home territory. I look up to Donald Cannon a lot. Since I was in eighth grade, he’s always been someone I looked up to, even when he was hurt for his sophomore season, I looked up to him. So seeing him win this last year and me not doing as well definitely motivated me. I’m definitely proud of our team. I mean, we have a bunch of young guys that are definitely going to be a lot better than me. I hope, definitely I hope they are going to be a lot better than me. And they showed it today. I mean, they wrestled their butt off. I didn’t get the chance to wrestle here as a freshman. So seeing them wrestle, that makes me feel good. And having them matside, that means a lot to me. I feel like I need to work on everything. I feel like I’m not where I need to be, I want to get to where I want to be.”

Neal, who’s ranked fifth in 2A at 157,  joined 215 champion Jayden Lambert as one the two finalists and four others who placed in the top-six for coach Jake Gondinez’ Redbirds. Neal, a two-time state qualifier who went 40-8 last season and fell one win shy of a medal at 150, opened with a quick pin, followed with a victory by technical fall and then earned his spot in the 157 finals with a 10-0 major decision over Geneseo senior Grady Hull in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Belmont/ Platteville senior Tyler Kisamore, who led all competitors with 97 total match points, won by technical fall in 2:39 over Johnsburg’s Kainoa Ancog. For fifth place, Abdulrazzaq, who’s ranked seventh in 2A at 157, won an 8-1 decision over Hull, a state qualifier last season who’s ranked eighth in 2A at 157.

165 – Talon Decker, Mahomet-Seymour

Talon Decker enjoyed a successful sophomore season at Mahomet-Seymour by going 42-15, advancing to the IHSA Class 2A Finals for the first time along with six teammates and winning a match there and then helping his team to finish fourth in the Class 2A Dual Team Finals. Now the Bulldogs junior is looking forward to bigger and better things this season and is off to a good start after he and two of the other returning state qualifiers won titles at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invitational to help their team take third in the 29-team invite with 171.5 points. He won the 165 title with a 13-1 major decision over Belmont/ Platteville sophomore Oliver Harcus.

Decker joined Gideon Hayter (132) and OWA recipient Marco Casillas (190) as champions as their team finished with the most title winners. Justus Vrona, who also was a state qualifier last season, joined the three champs as well as three others to account for seven top-six finishers for the third-place team, which is coached by Rob Ledin, who was honored last year when he received a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. Decker, who’s ranked eighth in 2A at 165, got a pin in his opener, followed with a major decision and earned his spot in the finals with an 8-4 decision over Crystal Lake South junior Aiden Marrello. Decker finished tied with two others for ninth place for the most team points with 28.

“So I looked over after the first period and I saw that he (Gideon) was up, so it was just, it was great to see, because right before we wrestled, our 190, Marco, was also winning,” Decker said. “Yeah, I’m really excited for how this season’s going to go. I’d say probably leadership because usually we’re not like the biggest teams, we have a few gaps in our lineup. But we make up for it with team effort and staying loud on the side in duals. It’s a great feeling, everything about it is.”

Harcus was one of two finalists for the sixth-place Wisconsin co-op team that’s coached by Emeric Williams, who wrestled at Lockport Township for his dad, 2015 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Joe Williams. He used a win by technical fall, a pin and a 4-3 decision over United Township junior Ramadane Gani to reach the 165 title match. For third place,  Marello, who’s ranked 9th in 2A at 165, was a winner by technical fall in 3:31 over Gani. And St. Patrick senior Andrew Rieger took fifth place by medical forfeit over Thornton Township senior Mark Bew.

175 – Van Grasser, St. Patrick

Van Grasser took sixth place in Class 2A at 165 last season and also placed sixth at 157 in 2024, so now the St. Patrick senior wants to close out his career by moving up higher on the awards stand, but that may be a challenge since he’ll be competing in Class 3A this season. If he and classmate Danny Goodwin can claim their third medals in Champaign, they’ll join Sean Conway, who won medals in 2019, 2020 and 2022, as the only three-time All-Staters for the Shamrocks. 

They both also won titles at the E-Rab Giardini Invitational with Grasser getting a 10-3 decision over Geneseo junior Izaac Gaines in the 175 finals to add to a fourth-place finish at Marmion Academy in his initial tournament this season. Grassser, who’s ranked fourth in 3A at 175 by Illinois Best Weekly,  also was one of the four finalists and six individuals who placed sixth or better for coach Patrick Duggan’s Shamrocks, who improved from placing fifth last year to finishing second in this competition. He followed up on a pair of victories by technical fall with a pin in 1:24 over United Township freshman Travis Kinkead to reach the 175 title match. As a result of those decisive outcomes, he ranked seventh in most teams points with 29.

“It’s a good tournament to just get out there and get your feet moving the first couple of weeks of the season and It’s always good to push the pace and score a lot of points,” Grasser said. “The main thing I focus on is hand fighting and attacks and re-attacks. Having a strong group and a strong team definitely helps and I wrestle with the coach every day and there’s no one better to practice with. (His team) Definitely the brotherhood. I’ve been with some kids for four years.”

Gaines, who won the title at 150 at last year’s E-Rab Giardini Invite when Geneseo also took first place, is ranked second in 2A at 165. The two-time state qualifier went 37-6 last season and fell one win shy of getting a medal at 144 and also helped his team advance to the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals. He joined 285 champion Josh Stahl as one of the two finalists and was also one of eight individuals who placed sixth or better for new head coach Tom Rusk’s champion Maple Leafs. Gaines recorded falls in his other three matches, needing 1:38 to pin Metea Valley junior Lucas Marcoux in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Prairie Ridge sophomore Aiden Rodriguez, who’s ranked 10th in 2A at 175,  won by fall in 2:26 over Thornton Township senior Brandon Dumas. And for fifth place, Kinkead recorded a pin in 3:49 over Marcoux.

190 – Marco Casillas, Mahomet-Seymour

Marco Casillas met a familiar opponent in the 190 title match at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invite as the Mahomet-Seymour sophomore and Richmond-Burton junior Blake Livdahl met on a title mat for the second year in a row. Casillas prevailed with a 7-5 decision to win the 175 title a year ago and this matchup was just as compelling between Casillas, who took third at state last season and Livdahl, who was a state runner-up in 2025. Casillas got the upper hand again in the rematch and captured a 7-1 decision which followed three-straight falls and that showing proved to be sufficient for him to receive the Girardi Invitational’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Casillas, who went 55-4 and placed third in 2A at 175 and also helped his team to a fourth-place finish in the IHSA 2A Dual Team Finals, is ranked fourth in a loaded 190 weight class in 2A that features a two-time champion, Marian Central Catholic’s Jimmy Mastny, a 2024 title winner, Saint Viator’s Jaxon Penovich, and a 2025 champion, Lemont’s Judah Heeg. He was one of a tournament-high three champions for the third-place Bulldogs, who are coached by Rob Ledin, who was honored after last season with a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Illinois Chapter. One of four defending champions who repeated in the invite, he earned his spot in the 190 finals with a fall in 1:46 over Metea Valley junior Bohdan Postoroniuk. He collected 30 team points which not only led his team but was the sixth-best total overall.

“Every week, even if it’s in a different sport like football or baseball I’m always getting in the mat room,” Casillas said.” (Being a three-sport athlete) You’re able to move a lot better and you’re always improving your body, like your endurance, your strength, all year round. During the spring and the summer, I’ve been doing a lot of tournaments that have been pushing me and making sure I get the best competition so that I’m ready for the state finals. I like that even though they’re not feeling good or they don’t want to show up to practice, they still show up to practice and give a lot of effort. We just push off each other and we get better together.”

Livdahl, who lost a 14-7 decision to Lena-Winslow/ Stockton’s Eli Larson in last season’s Class 1A title match at 175 to conclude a 44-6 season, was the lone finalist and one of three top-five finishers for coach Tony Nelson’s Rockets, who finished in 10th place. Livdahl, who’s ranked second to Larson in 1A at 175 by Illinois Best Weekly, followed a victory by technical fall with a major decision and then won a tight match in the semifinals when he captured a 1-0 decision over Metamora sophomore Mark Aeschliman. For third place, Johnsburg junior Duke Mays, a state qualifier who’s ranked ninth in 1A at 190, won by fall in 0:55 over Winnebago senior Johnny Strauss. And Postoroniuk claimed fifth place by medical forfeit over Aeschliman.

215 – Jayden Lambert, Metamora

Jayden Lambert definitely seems to have made a name for himself after winning the 215 title at Rockford East’s E-Rab Giardini Invitational, where the Metamora senior captured a 12-3 major decision over Morris sophomore Malachi Congo in the finals. He is listed as the first honorable mention selection in 2A at 215 in the Illinois Best Weekly, a list that includes three others from the Mid-Illini Conference, which his school is a member of, including the 2025 champion at the weight class, Washington’s Josh Hoffer, who’s also top-ranked. His first three wins were all decisions, including a 3-2 triumph over Geneseo junior Colten Mooney in the quarterfinals, before winning 10-3 over Freeport senior Israel Goodman to earn his spot in the 215 finals. 

The title win definitely capped a big day for coach Jake Godinez’ Redbirds, who finished tied for 11th in the 29-team invite. Most of the team’s 95 points were produced by Lambert, runner-up junior Grady Neal (157), third-place finisher senior Connor Graham (144) and sixth-place finisher sophomore Mark Aeschliman (190). Those strong performances should give the Redbirds hope that perhaps one of them can make history by becoming the school’s fifth IHSA medalist and the first to achieve that feat since Nick McClone took fourth at 171 in AA in 2004. 

“You know, it feels really good to be a part of a team that’s been through a lot,” Lambert said. “A new coaching staff helped promote this team to levels I don’t think it ever could have reached without them. We have a bunch of new wrestlers that are either like first years or just gone through a couple years and we have a bunch of guys who have been in the program for a while, but everyone’s working hard. Our coach keeps a high intensity in the room, teaches the right things, and, period, wins us championships. It means a lot. It’s awesome. Coming into the season, I’m really a nobody. I wanted to make sure I was going to be somebody and put my name on the map out there. There’s a lot of just working with my coach, teaching me how to hand fight properly. And that was honestly the biggest thing in this tournament. Good hand fighting makes good offense. And teaching us how to sprawl properly and that makes us have a good defense also translates to a good offense. (His team) It’s full of great guys, Connor, Mark, a new freshman Elliott and Grady, who’s fighting for a finals championship right here. Just a bunch of hard work and the people who didn’t make it to today or maybe lost in the first round today they’re still working very, very hard and it’s just awesome to be a part of a team who encourages you and works hard alongside you.”

Congo also may have gotten his name out there after being seeded 15 and finishing second and joined champions Paxton Valentine (126) and Carter Skoff (150) and runner-up Brock Claypool (138) to become one of the four finalists for coach Lenny Tryner’s Morris team, who took fifth place. He won his first four matches by fall, with all of them ending in the opening period. As a result, he tied two others for ninth place in most team points with 28. In the third-place match, Prairie Ridge junior Frank Matviychuk won by fall in 2:36 over Harlem senior Chandler Jack. And for fifth place, Mooney won a 15-3 major decision over Goodman.

285 – Josh Stahl, Geneseo 

Josh Stahl was a member of last season’s Geneseo team that qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Dual Team Finals that lost to eventual champion IC Catholic Prep 47-22 in the quarterfinals in what turned out to be the final competition coached by Jon Murray, a 2023 inductee into the IWCOA Hall of Fame, who had led the program since 2002 and that was the fifth time that he led a Maple Leafs team to state. As a sophomore on that team, Stahl only got to compete in five matches, and he won all of them, but senior Owen King was the team’s regular heavyweight. Stahl accomplished in one weekend what it took all of last season to achieve, to get five wins.

Now it’s Stahl’s moment to make his mark and he’s definitely off to a great start after winning the 285 title at Rockford East’s Giardini Invitational when he captured a 4-1 decision over Freeport sophomore Kareem Odeh in the finals. He was his team’s lone champion and joined runner-up Izaac Gaines (175) as the only finalists. But the Maple Leafs had eight others who placed eighth or better and that helped them to three-peat at the invite with 191 points, which was 18 points ahead of runner-up St. Patrick. After serving as an assistant for over 30 years, new head coach Tom Rusk was able to capture a tournament title in his initial attempt. Stahl had the largest seed-place difference of any champion with a 12-position improvement from his 13th-seed. He scored a tournament-high 32 team points after winning four-straight matches by fall, getting a pin in 2:41 over Richmond-Burton junior Breckin Campbell to earn his spot on the 285 title mat. 

“We couldn’t have done it without the guys that maybe didn’t even place or didn’t place very high,” Stahl said. “They got us a lot of points and let us score very high. And it was great to have a win, not only to be first place for me, but then also have a good team win. I feel like we’re getting closer just every day. Every day we’re in the wrestling room, we’re getting closer, bonding, you know, becoming what a team really is. And what makes a really good wrestling team is guys who are just like brothers. And that mindset is definitely coming around. And I think, soon we’re going to have guys that are going to be placing downstate that are doing really well. Last week you know I had a tough loss and I wasn’t too happy about it but he (coach Rusk)  just kept preaching to my ear that I should be do able to make good out of this, that I’m going to be able to grow from it and I did and I come here and I win this and it feels great to do so. It’s a great staff and great organization to be in and the legacy’s been carried on. It changes the mindset for everyone, especially me. It makes me more excited to get out there and want to wrestle, and hopefully it’s an inspiration to guys that have lost, have tough losses. It feels great.”

Odeh, who joined champion Treyden Diduch (113) as finalists for coach Nathan Arendt’s eighth-place Pretzels, followed a win by medical forfeit with two quick pins, with the second of those in 1:57 in the semifinals over Hampshire junior Max Oleferchik. His Whip-Purs teammate, sophomore Knox Homola, placed third when he pinned Campbell in 3:24, which gave him a tournament-high six falls and that also tied him for ninth place in team points with 28. Freeport also had the fifth-place finisher at 285 as senior Sabastian Murray pinned Oleferchik in 2:47.

Rockford East Giardini Invitational championship matches

106 – Cam Whitehead (Winnebago) over Tymen Robinson (Prairie Ridge), TF 1:43

113 – Treyden Diduch (Freeport) over Jack Koenig (St. Patrick), F 1:41

120 – Danny Goodwin (St. Patrick) over Gabe Marella (North Boone), MD 19-5

126 – Paxton Valentine (Morris) over Calvin Stahl (St. Patrick), D 4-0

132 – Gideon Hayter (Mahomet-Seymour) over AJ Ramirez (Belvidere North), D 7-0

138 – Nathan Randle (Crystal Lake South) over Brock Claypool (Morris), D 9-6

144 – Dylan Weigel (Belmont/ Platteville) over Landon VanAcker (Belvidere), D 6-3

150 – Carter Skoff (Morris) over Dana Wickson (Rockford East), F 3:10

157 – Ty Smart (Rockford East) over Grady Neal (Metamora), D 10-9

165 – Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) over Oliver Harcus (Belmont/ Platteville), MD 13-1

175 – Van Grasser (St. Patrick) over Izaac Gaines (Geneseo), D 10-3

190 – Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour) over Blake Livdahl (Richmond-Burton), D 7-1

215 – Jayden Lambert (Metamora) over Malachi Congo (Morris), MD 12-3

285 – Josh Stahl (Geneseo) over Kareem Odeh (Freeport), D 4-1

Rockford East Giardini final team standings

 1. Geneseo 191, 2. St. Patrick 173, 3. Mahomet-Seymour 171.5, 4. Rockford East 153.5, 5. Morris 147, 6. Belmont/ Platteville, WI 135, 7. Johnsburg 126, 8. Freeport 122.5, 9. Hampshire 111.5, 10. Richmond-Burton 106.5, 11. Metamora 95, 11. Prairie Ridge 95, 11. Triad 95, 14. Zion-Benton 90.5, 15. Rochelle 85, 16. Winnebago 78.5, 17. Crystal Lake South 75.5, 18. United Township 67.5, 19. Northridge Prep 63.5, 20. Thornton Township 63, 21. Harlem 52.5, 22. Belvidere North 52, 23. Metea Valley 44, 23. North Boone 44, 25. Dakota 32.5, 26. Belvidere 31, 27. Woodstock North 30, 28. Elgin 20, 29. Lincoln Academy 8.