Girls tournament roundup: Princeton, Sterling, Granite City
By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA
Princeton’s 2nd Annual Girls PIT
35 teams traveled to Princeton for its 2nd Annual PIT tournament and when the dust settled, Minooka loaded the championship trophy onto the team bus.
Coach Paige Schoolman’s Indians posted 163 points, getting an individual title from Ezra Rodriquez (145) to lead the way among nine girls who finished in the top six of their weight classes.
“The girls had a nice week with dual wins over solid teams in Joliet West and Homewood-Flossmoor,” Minooka coach Paige Schoolman said. “The PIT was a great opportunity to get all of our girls matches and work on the skills we have been developing in practice.
“Our girls are starting to gel as a team and become supportive of each other. The more we wrestle for each other the better we will be throughout the year.”
A dogfight for second place saw Geneseo edge out Ottawa, 144.5-144, with LaSalle-Peru hot on their heels with 140 points. Hampshire (112.5) rounded out the top five team finishers.
1st: Minooka (163)
Rodriquez used three first-period falls and a 9-3 decision in winning her title at 145, and Schoolman got a pair of second-place finishes from Therese Escano (105) and Sabina Charlebois (130). The Indians also got a third from Abigail Underhill (170), fourths from Marian Nordsell (110) and Gianna Boudonck (135), and fifths from Anastasia Dewey (125), Lexie Lakota (135), and Mia Lemberg (190).
“Sabina, Therese, and Ezra were impressive on the way to the finals,” Schoolman said. “Ezra dominated her bracket, Sabina imposed her will all day and came up just short, and Therese was outstanding in her debut at 105. She is only a second-year wrestler that has sky-high potential.”
Schoolman had high praise for all his placers at Princeton.
“Abby (170) is a second-year wrestler that just gets better every time she competes. She is a consistent worker and is getting better everyday.
“Marian (110) wrestled really well. She had a state qualifier on the ropes in the semis and just let it slip away at the last minute. Gianna (135) is another second-year wrestler that managed to battle through the bracket to the third-place match.
“Lexie (135) can be really good by the end of the year, Anastasia (125) looked great throughout every match, and Mia (190) is going to be a problem for girls in her weight class all year.”
2nd: Geneseo (144.5)
Maple Leafs coach Carley Rusk got a second-place finish from Sophia Urquiza (135) and a quartet of thirds from Addison Hadsall (100), Giana Wurslin (105), Lydia King (120) and Annibelle Juarez (140), and a fourth from Ayla Schultz (125).
3rd: Ottawa (144)
Coach Kevin Aughenbaugh got an individual title from Lily Gwaltney (110), seconds from Isabel Gwaltney (100), Ava Weatherford (140), and Juliana Thrush (235), and fourths from Val Munoz (115), Jaiyden Provance (140), and Alivia Butler (145).
PIT individual champions:
100: Chloe Collins (Olympia); 105: Annabelle Mueller (Hampshire); 110: Lily Gwaltney (Ottawa); 115: Laila Vaughn (Streator); 120: Stella Piazza (Hampshire); 125: Kiely Domyancich (LaSalle-Peru); 130: Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion); 135: Michelle Naftzger (Erie); 140: Jaelyn Hare (East Moline); 145: Ezra Rodriquez (Minooka); 155: Aaliyah Swearingen (Kewanee); 170: Jessica Toomey (Mt. Zion); 190: Courtney Walls (Rock Island); 235: Phoenix Molina (Unity)
Final team scores:
Minooka (163), Geneseo (144.5), Ottawa (144), LaSalle-Peru (140), Hampshire (112.5), Freeport (106), Washington (100), Rock Island (84l.5), Erie (79.5), Kewanee (62), Dunlap (61), Mt. Zion (60), ROWVA (57.5), Streator (53.5), Olympia (52), Princeton (46), Tolono (46), Mahomet-Seymour (45), United (43), Normal Community West (38), Metamora (36), Genoa-Kingston (30), Moline (30), Illini West (28), Farmington (26), Galena (25), Illinois Valley Central (23), Morton (22), Rock Falls (20), Sherrard (19)
Close title matches:
In a matchup between returning multiple state medal winners, Unity’s Phoenix Molina won a 1-0 decision over Ottawa’s Juliana Thrush. Molina placed third at 235 last year while Thrush placed sixth.
Individual bests:
Geneseo’s Lydia King posted the most pins in the least time of anyone present, winning by fall in five matches in a grand total of 5:49. Erie’s Ayden Grawe had the most tech falls in the least time, with two techs in 4:09. Grawe also posted the fastest tech fall of the tournament, in 1:00. LaSalle-Peru’s Kiely Domyancich scored the most team points with 32, ROWVA’s Marissa Brown scored the most single-match points with 22, and Hampshire’s Madison Minson scored the most total match points with 60.
Kewanee’s JenDayia Crowe provided the largest seed-place difference, when she placed second as the No. 28 seed at 125.
PIT championship match results:
100: Chloe Collins (Olympia) d. Isabel Gwaltney (Ottawa) F 0:49
105: Annabelle Mueller (Hampshire) d. Therese Escano (Minooka) F 2:40
110: Lily Gwaltney (Ottawa) d. Rozlyn Mosher (Erie) F 5:56
115: Laila Vaughn (Streator) d. Lyndsey Brewer (Farmington) F 1:08
120: Stella Piazza (Hampshire) d. Kaiya Galindo (Freeport) F 0:49
125: Kiely Domyancich (LaSalle-Peru) d. JenDayia Crowe (Kewanee) F 1:04
130: Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) d. Sabina Charlebois (Minooka) F 3:36
135: Michelle Naftzger (Erie) d. Sophia Urquiza (Geneseo) F 1:25
140: Jaelyn Hare (United) d. Ava Weatherford (Ottawa) F 3:09
145: Ezra Rodriquez (Minooka) d. Leah Brammeier (Olympia) F 1:26
155: Aaliyah Swearingen (Kewanee) d. Arian Sabu (Normal West) F 1:12
170: Jessica Toomey (Mt. Zion) d. Grace Mordhorst (Washington) F 0:55
190: Courtney Walls (Rock Island) d. Patience Riggs (ROWVA) TF 2:55
235: Phoenix Molina (Unity) d. Juliana Thrush (Ottawa) D 1-0
Third-place results:
100: Addison Hadsall (Geneseo) d. Sierra Tuttle (Mahomet-Seymour) F 328
105: Giana Wurslin (Geneseo) d. Rylee Backes (Princeton) F 0:58
110: Sarah Lowery (LaSalle-Peru) d. Marian Nordsell (Minooka) D 6-4
115: Brea Balles (Freeport) d. Val Munoz (Ottawa) fft.
120: Lydia King (Geneseo) d. Lilyana Malagon (Illinois Valley Central) F 0:34
125: Calliope Willman (Metamora) d. Ayla Schultz (Geneseo) F 2:36
130: Ava Beldo (Unity) d. Ayden Grawe (Erie) F 1:02
135: Emma Ziegler (Washington) d. Gianna Boudonck (Minooka) F 2:17
140: Annibelle Juarez (Geneseo) d. Jaiyden Provance (Ottawa) F 1:12
145: Madison Minson (Hampshire) d. Alivia Butler (Ottawa) D 13-7
155: Paytyn Dykes (Washington) d. Marisa Eggersdorfer (LaSalle-Peru) F 1:46
170: Abigail Underhill (Minooka) d. Violet Gray (Vandalia) D 9-3
190: Samantha Diehl (Hampshire) d. Atalyssa Craig (Dunlap) F 0:52
235: Jakeria Wilson (Moline) d. Destiny Kaeding (Dunlap) F 3:43
Sterling’s Carson DeJarnatt Girls Invitational
Plainfield South snared the team title at this year’s 16-team Carson DeJarnatt Girls Invitational. The Cougars out-pointed second-place Galesburg 170.5-116, followed by Sycamore (98.5), St. Charles East (91.5), and host Sterling (85) to round out the first five team finishes.
Cougars coach Tom Redmon saw five individual champions scale the awards stand in Amie Fuentes (100), Kayla Ochotorena (115), Alexia Kachiroubas (120), Layla Spann (170), and Kimyra Patrick (190). Eight additional girls placed in the top six of their weight classes.
“It was an outstanding team effort and resulted in a team championship,” Redmon said. “We had five individual champions… all wrestled exceptionally well, and Layla (Spann) earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the upper weight classes.”
Team captains Fuentes and Ochotorena shined on their paths to winning the finals, as did Kachiroubas and freshman standout Patrick. Spann was dominant in pinning her way to the title at 170 pounds.
And no team title is won without contributions in the consolation bracket.
“I’m also proud of the girls who battled on the backside of their brackets to score crucial team points,” Redmon said. “Sophia Zuno (105) and Yuli Manrique (125) both fought back to place and are quickly becoming key contributors to our varsity lineup despite being underclassmen.”
1st place: Plainfield South (170.5)
In addition to its five champions, the Cougars got thirds from Yuliana Manrique (125) and Madelynn Cozzi (140), a fourth from Alycia Rodriguez (155), and fifths from Desirae Almazan-Delfierro (100), Sophia Zunno (105), Vida Sanchez (125), Eloise Simpson (130) and Sammie Ntone (190). Plainfield South got a sixth from Zola Buerdette (145), and an unscored sixth from Olivia Gounelis (120).
“Overall, this team championship reflects the growth we’re seeing across the entire squad,” Redmon said. “Our athletes are gaining confidence in their offense from neutral and showing far fewer of the mistakes we saw earlier in the season.
“As a coach, I’m thrilled with their progress and with the supportive, growth-focused culture they continue to build — one pushing everyone to raise their standards and elevate their performances.”
2nd place: Galesburg (116)
Coach Ryan Shipp got an individual title from Hannah Barton (155), seconds from Amyah Pruitt (130), Vivian Aldus (140), and Jasmine Dillard (170), a third from Dai Driana Wilford (135), a fourth from Macie Taylor (190), non-scoring fourths from Willow Pilger (130) and Delilah Gregory (135), and a fifth from Victoria Sutton (135).
3rd place: Sycamore (98.5)
Sycamore only entered seven wrestlers but got a pair of individual titles from Ema Durst (140) and Jasmine Enriquez (235) for coach Randy Culton, a second from Winter Beard (135), a third from Frankie McMurtry (170), a fourth from Ella West (110), and a fifth from Rayanna Graziano (235).
DeJarnatt individual champions:
100: Amie Fuentes (Plainfield South); 105: Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford East); 110: Blair Grennan (Newman Central Catholic); 115: Kayla Ochotorena (Plainfield South); 120: Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield South); 125: Valentina Solorzano (St. Charles East); 130: Kerby Germann (Fulton); 135: Aubrey Herndon (Polo); 140: Ema Durst (Sycamore); 145: Vivianna Torres (Sterling); 155: Hannah Barton (Galesburg); 170: Layla Spann (Plainfield South); 190: Kimyra Patrick (Plainfield South); 235: Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore)
Final team scores:
Plainfield South (170.5), Galesburg (116), Sycamore (98.5), St. Charles East (91.5), Sterling (85), Macomb (76), Newman Central Catholic (56), Fulton (54), DUPEC (53), Polo (52), Rockford East (50.5), Limestone (40), Clinton (37), Dixon (37), Guilford (17)
Individual bests:
Clinton’s Sandy Clark posted the most pins in the least time, pinning three opponents in 2:15, while Sycamore’s Frankie McMurtry posted the fastest pin in the tournament at 9 seconds. St. Charles East’s Sydney Stieb had the fastest tech fall win in 1:36. Stieb also scored the most single-match points with 21. Polo’s Aubrey Herndon and Plainfield South’s Yuliana Manrique tied for the most total match points with 41, and the largest seed-place difference went to Plainfield South’s Alexia Kachiroubas, who won the title at 120 as the No. 7 seed.
Championship match results:
100: Amie Fuentes (Plainfield S) d. Lynorah Hansen (Newman) (F 1:48)
105: Saya Hongmoungkhoune (Rockford E) d. Kylie Tate (Sterling) 2-4, (F 3:01)
110: Blair Grennan (Newman) d. Sydney Stieb (SC East) (F 2:59)
115: Kayla Ochotorena (Plainfield S) d. Sophia Rivas (SC East) (F 2:45)
120: Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield S) d. Tylee D`Agostin (DUPEC) (F 2:52)
125: Valentina Solorzano (SC East) d. Maria Hernandez (Macomb) 3-2, (F 1:42)
130: Kerby Germann (Fulton) d. Amyah Pruitt (Galesburg) (F 2:16)
135: Aubrey Herndon (Polo) d. Winter Beard (Sycamore) (MD 14-5)
140: Ema Durst (Sycamore) d. Vivian Aldus (Galesburg) (TF 2:25)
145: Vivianna Torres (Sterling) d. Dru Hyde (Macomb) (F 3:35)
155: Hannah Barton (Galesburg) d. Diana Naxi (Clinton) (D 13-6)
170: Layla Spann (Plainfield S) d. Jasmine Dillard (Galesburg) (F 3:22)
190: Kimyra Patrick (Plainfield S) d. Avery Lundgren (Macomb) (F 2:22)
235: Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore) d. Adryanna Castro (Rockford E) (F 0:19)
Third-place match results:
100: Sandy Clark (Clinton) d. Bailynn Dunham (SC East) (F 1:21)
105: Lucy Bawinkel (Polo) d. Kachi Tijerina (SC East) (F 2:35)
110: Nevaeh Delgado (Sterling) d. Ella West (Sycamore) 2-4, (F 0:46)
115: Tenley Hale (Limestone) d. Kaia Hale (Limestone) (F 1:16)
120: Tessa Fosdick (Fulton) 5-2, d. Kyara Chavez (Dixon) 3-2, (F 3:29)
125: Yuliana Manrique (Plainfield S) d. Abi Lahey (DUPEC) (MD 14-5)
130: Ireland Dolan (DUPEC) d. Willow Pilger (Galesburg) (F 1:21)
135: Dai Driana Wilford (Galesburg) d. Delilah Gregory (Galesburg) (F 4:55)
140: Madelynn Cozzi (Plainfield S) d. (Bye)
145: Rachel Lance (Dixon) d. Dana Kane (Macomb) (F 0:19)
155: Talhia Hostetter (Limestone) d. Alycia Rodriguez (Plainfield S) (F 4:31)
170: Frankie McMurtry (Sycamore) d. Aleigha Sharon (Macomb) 0-3, (F 0:09)
190: Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) 5-2d. Macie Taylor (Galesburg) (F 0:28)
235: Arianna Tamayo (Sterling) d. Sophie Bolanos (Rockford E) (For.)
Granite City Girls Invitational
Edwardsville dominated the 30-team field at Granite City for coach Jon Wagner. The Tigers had three individual champions and multiple place-winners in posting 243.5 team points. Triad (138) placed second, followed by Collinsville (130), Granite City (116.5) and Bartlett TN (107) to round out the fop five team finishes.
Wagner commented on his girls’ performance in The Intelligencer:
“I’m very proud of the girls and their competitive nature,” Wagner said. “They went down there to have some fun, but also to get after it a little. “They’ve been working really hard in the room every day, and this was a chance for them to show what they’re capable of.”
1st: Edwardsville (243.5)
The Tigers got individual titles from returning state medalist Emma Rogers (105), Genevieve Dykstra (115) and Victoria White (190) to lead the way. Rogers and Dykstra won by fall in the finals, while White and Granite City’s Demi Barnes competed in one of the few title matches that didn’t end by fall, with White winning 6-2 on the title mat.
Placing second for Edwardsville were Maddy Allen (100), Olive Linhorst (125) and a non-scoring wrestler in Kennedy Downs (235). Tigers finishing third were Adleight Dewerff (110), Allie Chong (120), Lydia Blind (140), and non-scoring Brooklyn Alldredge (125). Gretchen Taylor (135) placed fourth and Angie Nunez (235) placed fifth.
“Vicky (White) is just resilient. She wrestled a really good girl from Granite City in the finals. It was a great match,” Wagner said. “She just continued to fight throughout the whole match. It was special to see.
“Emma was just Emma. She is always ready to wrestle…she had a big match in the finals, and you’re never going to get anything easy against her.”
“Genevieve…she’s been working extremely hard, not just this season but in the offseason, and it really paid off. She looked good, she looked confident, move to move, and she was relentless.”
2nd: Triad (138)
Knights coach Lucas Bernal got an individual title from Makenna Steele (135), a second from Kaitlin Wood (170), thirds from Cloe Graumenz (115) and Beckah Burrelsman (235), and sixths from Imani Hawkins (140) and Terryiah Lamb-Carraway (190).
3rd: Collinsville (130)
The Kahoks sent three to the title mat for coach Adam Gillispie, with Londyn Long (125) winning an individual title and second-place finishes coming from Ivana Torres (110) and Leann Cory (155). Collinsville also got fifth-place finishes from Jazelle Young (115) and Addyson Bailey (145) and a sixth from Emma Ford (120).
Granite City individual champions:
Roxana’s Madelyn Murphy (100), Edwardsville’s Emma Rogers (105), Porta’s Alexia Glover (110), Genevieve Dystra (115), Hazelwood West of Missouri’s Yanni Smith (120), Collinsville’s Londyn Long (125), Cahokia’s Te’Aja Young (130), Triad’s Makenna Steele (135), Granite City’s Audrey Barnes (140), Cumberland’s Natalie Beaumont (145), Freeburg’s Grace Stratton (155), Bartlett, Missouri’s Paige McKendry (170), and Belleville West’s Andre’a Kirkpatrick (235).
Individual bests:
With five falls in 4:52 total time, Springfield Co-op’s Kimoreyee Ballard finished with the most pins in the least time of all wrestlers present in Granite City. Ballard also posted the fastest fall in 11 seconds. Jacksonville’s Kaitlyn Knight had the fastest tech fall in 1:42.
Three girls tied for the most team points scored with 32, in Freeburg’s Grace Stratton, Bartlett, Missouri’s Paige McKendry and Cahokia’s Te’Aja Young. Bartlett’s Terrellyn Cannon had the most single match points with 24, and Freeburg’s Brielle Becker scored the most total match points with 54.
Alton’s Aryanna Jones provided the largest seed-place difference as the No. 24 seed placed sixth at 125.
Final team scores:
Edwardsville (243.5), Triad (138.5), Collinsville (130), Granite City (116.5), Bartlett, MO (107), Belleville West (98), Glenwood (94), Springfield Co-Op (94), Cahokia (86), Hazelwood West MO (75), Freeburg (73), Waterloo (72), Civic Memorial (70.5), Jacksonville (70.5), Roxana (58.5), Porta (50), Cumberland (44), Belleville East (40), O’Fallon (39), Mascoutah (33), Highland (29.5), Robinson (29), Hazelwood Central MO (25), Alton (23.5), East St. Louis (23), Carbondale (20), Rochester (15), Jerseyville (7), Mt. Vernon (7), Notre Dame (0)
Championship results:
100: Madelyn Murphy (Roxana) d. Maddy Allen (Edwardsville) (TF 18-2)
105: Emma Rogers (Edwardsville) d. Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) (F 0:52)
110: Alexia Glover (Porta) d. Ivana Torres (Collinsville) (F 2:52)
115: Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) d. Ma`Kayla Bonner (Granite City) (F 1:26)
120: Yanni Smith (Hazelwood W) d. Cecelia Irwin (Springfield(Coop)) (F 3:47)
125: Londyn Long (Collinsville) d. Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) (F 3:29)
130: Te`Aja Young (Cahokia) d. Isabella Resendez (Glenwood) (F 2:12)
135: Makenna Steele (Triad) d. Ja`yla Hurst (Belleville W) (F 1:57)
140: Audrey Barnes (Granite City) d. Scarlett Gentille (O`Fon) (F 3:11)
145: Natalie Beaumont (Cumberland) d. Lauren Arrington (Bartlett) (MD 14-6)
155: Grace Stratton (Freeburg) d. Leann Cory (Collinsville) (F 0:32)
170: Paige McKendry (Bartlett) d. Kaitlin Wood (Triad) , (F 1:48)
190: Victoria White (Edwardsville) d. Demi Barnes (Granite City) (D 6-2)
235: Andre`a Kirkpatrick (Belleville W) d. Kennedy Downs (Edwardsville) (F 3:30)
Third-place results:
100: Ariel Sipes (Porta) d. Dasia McCracken (Robinson) 5-2, (F 1:17)
105: Phoenix Criss (Springfield Co-op) d. Janiya Fleming (Hazelwood W) (F 1:37)
110: Adleigh Dewerff (Edwardsville) d. Riley Weems (Belleville West) (F 1:33)
115: Cloe Graumenz (Triad) d. Olivia Jarrett (Glenwood) (F 3:06)
120: Allie Chong (Edwardsville) d. Kathleen Loyola (Carbondale) (MD 12-0)
125: Brooklyn Alldredge (Edwardsville) d. Lucy Baldwin (Waterloo) (D 4-1)
130: Ella Berg (Bartlett) d. Sidney Ufert (Roxana) (F 2:25)
135: Madelyn Edler (Waterloo) d. Gretchen Taylor (Edwardsville) (F 0:32)
140: Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) d. Macee Hammond (Robinson) (F 3:25)
145: Jariyah Powell (East St. Louis) d. Kyla Ford (Carbondale) (D 7-5)
155: Bailly Rabun (Hazelwood W) d. Terrellyn Cannon (Bartlett) (F 4:45)
170: Janylah Holman (Cahokia) d. Audrey Whipple (Civic Memorial) (F 1:57)
190: Kamryn Brown (Cahokia) d. Vanessa Kelley (Springfield(Coop)) (F 0:26)
235: Beckah Burrelsman (Triad) d. Nina Landmann (Highland) (F 2:30)