Hononegah makes statement at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational
By Curt Herron – For the IWCOA
A year ago, Hononegah made a statement when it finished in second place 7.5 points behind host Barrington in its Moore-Prettyman Wrestling Invitational to open its season and the Indians concluded 2023-2024 by qualifying for the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2016, where it lost to St. Charles East 40-29 in the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians definitely raised the bar on this season’s expectations after placing eight individuals in the top five at their weights with four of those being champions as well as five finalists to help them to easily win the championship of the 32-team competition, which was renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational prior to the start of the finals.
Hononegah finished with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 points ahead of runner-up Washington, the defending Class 2A IHSA champions who finished with 236 points. Hersey (211) and Stevenson (180.5) also were honored for top-four finishes while Providence Catholic (178.5) made a huge jump from 17th place to fifth and fell two points shy of fourth place. Grant (170), Barrington (167.5), Crystal Lake Central (154.5), Fremd (154) and Wheaton North (154) rounded out the top 10 teams.
The Indians were missing a returning champion and an IHSA placewinner from a year ago, Bruno Cassioppi, due to an injury, but it’s hoped that he can return by the end of the season, giving the team hope that it can not only pursue its first state trophy since 2014, when DeMoss was a junior and the team finished fourth, but also to finish better than fourth place, which they also did in both 2007 and 2005.
Champions for Hononegah were Rocco Cassioppi (126), TJ Silva (138), Brody Sendele (165) and Connor Diemel (175) and all of them captured their titles with wins by technical fall. Kurt Smith (190) lost by one point in his finals match while Jackson Olson (120) and Max Haskins (157) took third place and Kristian DeClercq (106) finished fifth. Sendele was one of the two individuals who also won a title last season while Silva and Diemel were both second in 2023.
“I think we’re pretty confident that we can win state,” DeMoss said. “We’ve got to figure some parts out and we’re not fully healthy yet, we’re short one Cassioppi. We’ll get him back and we’ll get some of the other weights figured out. That’s our goal, to win team state. We have a great mix of upper weights and lower weights and they’re all pushing each other. These guys have known each other since second grade. They went to middle school together, all the way through, so they’re wrestling for themselves individually but they’re also wrestling for each other as a team.”
Washington, which aims to capture the Class 2A title for the third year in a row for coach Nick Miller, had three champions, four finalists and seven in the top seven at their weights. Title winners for the Panthers were Noah Woods (120), Wyatt Medlin (157) and Josh Hoffer (215) while Sean Thornton (285) placed second, Symon Woods (106) took third, Peyton Cox (144) finished fifth and Cruise Brolley (165) claimed seventh place. Medlin also repeated as a champion in the competition.
Fremd was the only other team that had multiple champions, Evan Gosz (144) and Owen Jakubczak (285). Gosz received the Outstanding Wrestler Award after winning by technical fall in the finals, scoring the most team points and capturing his third title in the event, with the others coming in 2021 and 2022. Jakubczak, who was seeded eighth at his weight, won the first tournament of his high school career.
Others who placed second last season and won championships on Saturday were Barrington’s Kaleb Pratt (113) and Stevenson’s Shawn Kogan (132). Making the move from sixth-place to title winner was Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks (190).
Two freshmen also demonstrated that they will be factors this season. Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg (150), who won a Minnesota state title as an eighth grader last season, prevented Joliet West’s Carson Weber from repeating as a champion. Loyola Academy’s Niko Odiotti (106) joined his brother Massey, who’s competing at Northwestern University, as a champion in the competition.
Gosz led all competitors with 42 team points while Silva was next with 41.5 and Hoffer ranked third with 41. Diemel, Pratt and Medlin all finished with 40 team points while Cassioppi and Sendele had 39.5 apiece, Jakubczak and Parks collected 39 team points, Kogan had 37.5, Woods finished with 37 and Odiotti wound up with 36.5 points.
Before the start of the finals, there was a special ceremony announcing that the tournament, which is in its 33rd year, would be renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Wrestling Invitational, to also honor Tim Dunn, who passed away just days after last year’s tournament at age 72. He was a lifelong Barrington resident, local historian and trustee who was the Social Studies Department head and a history and government teacher at the high school as well as being a wrestling and football coach with the Broncos from 1987 until his retirement in 2008.
106 – Niko Odiotti, Loyola Academy
Niko Odiotti knows all too well how competitive wrestling is in Illinois after seeing his brother Massey make history at Loyola Academy by becoming its first state finalist in 2022 when he took second place in Class 3A at 120 and then its first champion in 2023 when he won 3A at the same weight class before continuing his career at Northwestern University, where he’s a sophomore.
Odiotti hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps and he’s definitely off to a great debut after the freshman beat two individuals who were seeded ahead of him to capture the 106 title at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational. He followed a quick fall and win by technical fall with a 9-3 decision over Washington’s Symon Woods in the semifinals to become the lone finalist and medalist for coach Matt Collum’s Ramblers, where he won a 7-1 decision over Grayslake Central’s Vince DeMarco.
“It felt good,” Odiotti said. “My brother came here a couple of times, so I was able to watch and the environment is pretty cool so I like this tournament a lot. There’s a lot of pressure but I feel like I handled it well. I was really nervous before all of my matches but I was prepared and work as hard as anyone so I think that I’m ready to win. The goal is to be a state champion. (Coach Matt Collum) He shows us a lot and pushes us really hard day in and day out and that helps us and it shows on the mat.”
DeMarco, a sophomore, was the tournament’s top-seed after going 45-9 a year ago and finishing in fourth place at 106 in Class 2A. He became the lone finalist for coach Matthew Joseph’s Rams after he followed a fall with two wins by technical fall, with the latter one in 1:53 over Hononegah’s Kristian DeClercq in the semifinals. Woods, a junior, claimed third place after prevailing 13-10 in sudden victory over Providence Catholic freshman Christian Corcoran. DeClercq, a sophomore who was one of eight individuals who placed fifth or better for the champion Indians, claimed fifth place with a fall in 0:58 over Stevenson freshman Daniel Berdich. Grant junior Carter Hutchinson captured a 7-2 decision over Barrington freshman Matthew Blanke for seventh and in the ninth-place match, Fremd freshman Lucas Crandall won a 16-4 major decision over Wheaton North sophomore Daniel Hyde.
113 – Kaleb Pratt, Barrington
Kaleb Pratt was definitely the highlight for the host Broncos during the 33rd edition of their season-opening tournament, which was renamed as the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational during a pre-finals ceremony. Not long after that, the Broncos sophomore who was top-seeded in the invite, captured the first of two falls during the finals when he pinned Stevenson’s Evan Mishels in 5:51 in the 113 title match.
Pratt, who capped a 36-14 debut season in 2023-2024 with a 36-14 record after finishing sixth at 106 in Class 3A, was the lone champion and finalist for coach Dan Keller’s Broncos. He followed two first-period falls with a 9-0 major decision in the semifinals over Crystal Lake Central sophomore Jackson Marlett.
“I had a good season last year and I got sixth, but now I want to get first,” Pratt said. “I’ve been in the room and just working hard and doing extra, like staying after practice and eating good and keeping a good diet and pushing myself. It feels good winning the tournament and to go undefeated to start the season.”
Mishels, a junior who went 36-16 a year ago but fell one win shy of advancing from the Barrington Sectional after losing to Pratt, was the second-seed in the competition and was the first of two finalists for coach Shane Cook’s Patriots. After opening with a win by technical fall and an 8-5 decision in the quarterfinals, he earned his spot on the 113 title mat by claiming a 4-1 decision over Providence Catholic freshman Lucas Forsythe in the semifinals. Marlett claimed third place with a 6-3 decision over Forsythe while Joliet West junior Jakob Crandall took fifth with a 15-4 major decision over another Providence Catholic freshman, Nate Ortiz. Hersey sophomore Cole Anselmi won a 9-4 decision over Wauconda junior Nicholas Ruiz for seventh place and Bradley-Bourbonnais sophomore Zach Hoffner won by fall in 2:35 over Washington sophomore Lucas Bach to claim ninth place. Loyola Academy senior Harlee Hiller, a three-time medalist, two-time finalist and 2023 IHSA champion at 105, competed in the tournament but was unable to place as she did one year ago.
120 – Noah Woods, Washington
Noah Woods began a run of championship mat success for defending Class 2A champion Washington as coach Nick Miller’s Panthers got three-straight title wins with senior Woods getting things started at 120 with an 11-6 decision over Glenbard East’s Ismael Chaidez, then junior Wyatt Medlin followed a short time later with a championship at 157 and junior Josh Hoffer added another title at 215 before the team’s fortunes finally changed in their last visir to the title mat as Sean Thornton got pinned by Fremd’s Owen Jakubczak at 285.
Woods, the second-seed at the weight who went 44-16 last season after finishing sixth at 120 in Class 2A, opened with a fall, followed that with a 15-2 major decision in the quarterfinals and assured himself of being the first Panther on the championship mat after he won another major decision, this time by a 16-6 margin over Barrington sophomore Ryan Dorn.
“I think I wrestled pretty good,” Woods said. “Honestly, I think I deserve this because I’ve put in the work for it and I mentally prepared every single match for this. But this isn’t really important to me right now, and what is important to me is the end goal. I want to come here and learn from what I’m doing and get in a routine this year so that I can consistently compete and perform good. That was my goal today, to perform as well as I can. We’re a pretty good family and we support each other. And if there’s something that needs to be fixed, you can rely on your teammates to help you fix it.”
Chaidez, a junior who went 37-7 and fell one win shy of a state trip at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional a year ago, was the fourth seed but sprung an upset in the semifinals when he won a 12-3 major decision over the top-seed, Wauconda senior Gavin Rockey, who was an IHSA runner-up in Class 2A at 106 in each of the past two years. That victory, which made Chaidez the lone finalist for coach Donald Pool’s Rams, followed another major decision in the quarterfinals and a win by technical fall in his first match. Hononegah junior Jackson Olson captured third place with an 11-6 decision over Dorn. Rockey, who went 44-11 last season and 29-6 in 2022-2023, settled for fifth place after winning an 11-7 decision over Hersey senior Danny Lehman. In the seventh-place match, Joliet West sophomore Joseph Pedrosa claimed an 8-2 decision over Grayslake Central junior Krish Sahu and for ninth place, Jacobs freshman Enrique Garcia won a 25-11 major decision over Wheaton North sophomore Rocco Macellaio.
126 – Rocco Cassioppi, Hononegah
Rocco Cassioppi started off a run of four-straight title wins by technical fall for Hononegah when he won the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn title at 126 with a win over Grant’s Vince Jasinski in 3:14 as the program wrapped up a dominating showing where it used five finalists and eight individuals placing fifth or better to defeat Washington by a 283.5-236 margin for top honors in the 32-team competition.
Cassioppi, a sophomore who went 43-4 last season and dropped a 6-5 decision to Warren Township’s Caleb Noble in the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 106, was the first of five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians. He hopes to become the fourth Cassioppi to capture a state title with Anthony taking firsts in 3A in 2017 and 2018, Rose winning a title in the inaugural IHSA Finals in 2022 and Angelina is one of four individuals who has won titles in each of the first three Finals. The top-seed opened the tournament with two first-minute falls before needing to go the full six in the semifinals, where he won a 13-4 major decision over Hersey senior Riddick Variano.
“I’m very excited,” Cassioppi said. “There’s a lot of teamwork, a lot of hard work in the room, just making each other better. Iron sharpens iron and we all work very hard and push each other. We work all summer long, workouts, wrestling, everything together. It’s a great team and I’m happy to see it’s working out. We’re hoping we can get him (Bruno) back for team state and state. Just recurring issues and he hates being out but he comes and watches every practice and he’s learning mentally. We all want to succeed personally, but we all really hope that we do good as a team. The best that Hononegah has ever done as a team is fourth. Both of my brothers have been on teams that placed at state and I kind of want to step outside of their shadow and do more than just place, but win it. Going into my barn, we have the state brackets hung up. It’s a lot to look up to, but it’s also a lot of pressure, but the pressure helps me and it makes me work harder.”
Jasinski, a junior who went 33-15 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals, also has a sister who won a state title, Ayane, a three-time medalist who became Grant’s first girls champion in 2023. He secured his spot as the lone finalist in the tournament for coach Mark Jolcover’s Bulldogs by recording falls in his first two matches before advancing from the semifinals with a forfeit win over Providence Catholic sophomore Tommy Banas. Variano captured third place with a fall in 2:46 over Wheaton North junior Caden Cahill. Jacobs junior Ben Arbotante claimed fifth place with a forfeit win over Banas, who took sixth at 126 in last year’s IHSA 2A Finals. In the seventh-place match, Lyons Township senior Roger Martinez won a 22-9 major decision over Crystal Lake Central junior Dylan Ramsey and for ninth place, Barrington junior Saul Ramirez was a winner by technical fall in 5:26 over Sandwich senior Jakob Gruca.
132 – Shawn Kogan, Stevenson
Shawn Kogan qualified for the IHSA 3A Finals last season but was disappointed that he didn’t win a match there and finished with a 24-10 record. The Stevenson junior hopes that he can make his way to the state awards stand this season and kicked things off in good fashion when he won the 132 championship at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational after prevailing with a 15-14 decision over Lyons Township junior Griff Powell in the 132 title match.
One of two finalists and the lone champion for coach Shane Cook’s Patriots, Kogan won each of his first three matches by technical fall before earning his spot on the title mat with a 12-10 decision over Hersey senior Elijah Garza in the semifinals. Powell, who went 34-6 last season but saw his season end due to injury at the Hinsdale Central Sectional, was the top-seed in the tournament over Kogan. The lone finalist for coach Griff Powell’s Lions, followed two wins by technical fall with a 6-2 decision over Lane Tech senior Alex Valentin in the semifinals.
“I feel pretty good,” Kogan said. “I feel like there’s great competition here and high-ranked guys. I definitely see a lot of room for improvement so I’ll just keep my mind on February and the state tournament and how I can improve so that I can be at my best there. Being a leader on the team definitely gives me a lot of confidence in everybody and I’m surrounded by people that work hard. Everybody has kind of become single-minded and just want to improve and to be their best. I’ve definitely put my mind on bigger goals than just qualifying for the state tournament. I’ve just been working hard with my coaches at Relentless Training Center, Ryan Prater and Jordan Blanton, and my Stevenson coaches, Mike Martinez and coach Cook and so many other guys and our alumni that have prepared me for bigger moments like these. That’s definitely had a huge impact on my training and my work ethic, for sure.”
Garza won by technical fall in 2:45 over Hinsdale Central junior Anthony Maven to capture third place. In a matchup of seniors who are returning state qualifiers, York’s Mondo Martinelli finished fifth after recording a fall in 4:56 over Valentin. In the seventh-place match, Grant senior Sammy Mendez won a 9-3 decision over Downers Grove South sophomore Jadon Dinwiddie and for ninth place, Grayslake Central senior Liam Halloran captured a 13-8 decision over Joliet West senior Marquan Godfrey.
138 – TJ Silva, Hononegah
TJ Silva followed a runner-up finish at 132 in Class 1A in 2022 with a 1A state championship at 126 in 2023 while competing for Dakota. Now the Hononegah senior hopes to get back to an IHSA title match for the fourth year in a row and finish with his second championship after losing by technical fall to a four-time state champion, St. Charles East’s Ben Davino, in last year’s Class 3A Finals at 132 that concluded a quality 28-5 debut season with the Indians. He kicked off this season in impressive fashion by capturing the 138 title with a win by technical fall in 2:15 over Fremd’s Drew Fifield to become the first of four champions and five finalists as Hononegah won the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 ahead of Washington.
Silva, the top-seed at 138, was joined by Rocco Cassioppi (126), Brody Sendele (165) and Connor Diemel (175) as champions and all of them won their titles with wins by technical fall. Along with runner-up Kurt Smith (190), he was one of five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians, who had eight individuals who placed fifth or better. He had falls in his opener and and in the quarterfinals and additional wins by technical fall in his second match and in the semifinals, where he won in 2:38 over Stevenson sophomore Mikey Polyakov. He finished with 41.5 team points, which was one-half point behind the leader in that category, Fremd’s Evan Gosz.
“I’m really excited just because I see all of the hard work that we put in the practice room, so I’m just so confident in my team that we’re going to do really well, ” Silva said. “And we have great coaches around us. It’s a great accomplishment. Coming to this tournament, last year we lost so this year we wanted to make a statement that our team is the best. We’re really good at whenever someone makes a mistake that we pick each other up. (Winning another title) That’s the goal. I’m just going to keep focusing on how hard I work and my technique and I feel that’s going to get me to the top of the podium.”
Fifield, a junior who went 20-12 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals at 126, was the third-seed at 138. He opened this competition with two wins by technical fall before claiming an 11-8 decision in the quarterfinals and then won a 13-5 major decision over the second-seed, Grant junior Erik Rodriguez, in the semifinals to become one of three finalists for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. Rodriguez, who was an IHSA qualifier last season, claimed third place with a 14-5 major decision over Polyakov. Joliet West senior Adrian Hernandez took fifth place after winning a 16-4 major decision over Wheaton North junior Andrew Langas. In the seventh-place match, Barrington junior Brennan O’Donnell won by fall in 5:30 over Fenwick senior Max Kenny. And for ninth place, Hersey sophomore Nolan Variano claimed an 8-3 decision over Lyons Township senior Claudio Rodriguez.
144 – Evan Gosz, Fremd
Evan Gosz may have had one of the toughest brackets at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational considering that the three-time Class 3A state medalist and 2024 runner-up had two others to contend with who also had won two or more medals, Washington’s Peyton Cox, a three-time Class 2A runner-up, and Hersey’s Maksim Mukhamedaliyev, a two-time 3A medal winner. Sandwich’s Cooper Corder also was a Class 1A medalist a year ago. But Gosz, a senior who was the top-seed, emerged as champion, winning his third title in the event, adding to firsts he captured in 2021 and 2022. After winning by technical fall in 3:55 over Mukhamedaliyev in the 144 title match, he was presented with the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Gosz suffered his only loss in 38 matches last season by a 14-5 score to St. Charles East’s Jayden Colon in the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 144. He also finished in third place at 126 in 2023 and third at 113 in 2022. He opened his OWA tournament run with three-straight falls before claiming a win by technical fall over York’s Frank Nitti in 4:15 to become one of three finalists, and eventually, two champs for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. He led all competitors for the most team points with 42, which was one-half point more than Hononegah’s TJ Silva had.
“I was really excited for the year at the beginning since I thought we had a lot of talent,” Gosz said. “Just seeing it translate to having three finalists and a guy wrestling for third place is awesome. I think we’re young and we have a lot of potential. We have a lot of athleticism and if we can translate that into learning good technique, it will be really great. I think we all have the athleticism, so if we can hone in on the technique and keep pushing in the wrestling room with the conditioning, I don’t know many teams that are going to be able to compete with us. Over the years I’ve kind of realized that my offense has been lacking and last year I kind of tried to showcase it a little bit, but this year, I’m really trying to hone in and solidify that. That’s kind of what I’ve been working on all offseason and it was really exciting to see it translating, and honestly, it was awesome.”
Mukhamedaliyev, the third-seed who went 36-4 last season and took third place in Class 3A at 132 after finishing sixth at 126 in 2023, opened with two first-period falls before winning by technical fall in the quarterfinals. He captured a 7-2 decision over senior Cox in the semifinals to become the lone finalist for coach Joseph Rupslauk’s Huskies, who finished in third place in the competition with 211 points. Nitti, who won 43 matches and fell one win shy of a Class 3A medal at 138 last season, claimed third place after winning 8-5 by sudden victory over Corder, a sophomore who won 35 matches and finished fourth at 138 in 1A in 2024. Cox, who won 28 matches last season and fell 9-7 to St. Rita’s Sean Larkin in the IHSA Class 2A 144 title match after taking second at 132 in 2023 and second at 120 in 2022, took fifth place after winning a 12-3 major decision over Wauconda sophomore Brian Hart. Lyons Township senior Jack Kutchek won an 11-3 major decision over Lane Tech senior Vermaat VanderBrug for seventh and Plainfield Central senior Jack Bowen claimed a 9-3 decision over Providence Catholic freshman Andrew Pellicci for ninth place.
150 – Justus Heeg, Providence Catholic
Justus Heeg is understandably excited about beginning his freshman season, but the dramatic 2-1 victory that the Providence Catholic athlete captured in an ultimate tiebreaker over Joliet West’s Carson Weber in the 150 championship match at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational was certainly not his first title that he had won in a high school competition. As an eighth grader, he went 44-9 and won the 2024 Minnesota State High School League individual championship in Class AA at 133 representing Simley, who also captured its sixth-straight dual team title.
He was one of nine freshmen that competed for the Celtics, who are coached by 2022 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Donald Reynolds. Five of those placed sixth or better with Heeg being the lone finalist for PC, which finished in fifth place in the competition with 178.5 points, just two points behind the final team that got a trophy for fourth place, Stevenson. Last year, the Celtics finished in 17th place in the event with 72 points. His other three victories were wins by technical fall and he needed just one period to claim his first two victories and 3:09 to defeat Barrington’s Daniel Blanke in the semifinals. Then in the championship match, Heeg got an escape early in the ultimate tiebreaker and held off Weber, who was a returning champion.
“A lot of that stuff from last year obviously prepared me for this year since I’ve been used to wrestling the high school guys,” Heeg said. “I’ve already wrestled some high school tournaments so I’m used to wrestling these type of guys. “It’s definitely mindset, If you have the right mindset, you can do anything. The main reason that we wanted to come to Providence was the Reynolds family and the connection that they have with Sean Bormet, and because he went to Providence.”
Weber, a senior who was the top-seed after finishing 42-2 last season and claiming third place in Class 3A at 144 to claim his first state medal, was the lone finalist for coach Awais Arain’s Tigers. He opened the tournament with two victories by technical fall and then received a forfeit win in the semifinals over Hersey’s Rodrigo Arceo. Blanke, a sophomore, captured an 18-5 major decision over York junior Benjamin Gorny to claim third place. Stevenson junior Valentin Vihrov, a state qualifier last season, won fifth place by forfeit over Arceo, who also advanced to state in 2024. In the seventh-place match, Hampshire senior Chris Napiorkowski got a win by technical fall in 4:57 over Grayslake Central senior Quentin Conkle. And Grant senior Nate Flores won a 5-2 decision over Wauconda junior Wyatt Roland for ninth.
157 – Wyatt Medlin, Washington
Wyatt Medlin stood out among the 17 returning state medal winners and eight finalists from last years’ IHSA Class 3A, 2A, 1A and Girls Finals that competed in the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational since the Washington junior was the lone 2024 state champion in the competition. Last season, he defeated Mt. Vernon’s Dillon White 10-3 to win the Class 2A title at 138 to highlight a 49-4 season after finishing in third place at 126 as a freshman. This season he hopes to join a prestigious group of Panthers who are two-time champions and three-time medalists. He kicked off his season in great fashion by winning the 157 title with a 13-3 major decision over Wheaton North senior Thomas Fulton.
Medlin, who was the top-seed, was one of three champions and four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who claimed second place in the 32-team competition. He won his initial three matches with first-period falls, which included one in 1:56 over Prospect junior Bennett Westfallen in the semifinals. Fulton, who was the second-seed in the bracket, went 40-10 last season and advanced to the Class 3A state finals at 157. After opening with a pair of pins, Fulton got a win by technical fall in the quarterfinals and then recorded a fall in 4:48 over Hononegah’s Max Haskins in the semifinals to become the only finalist for coach Tim Walker’s Falcons.
“This is a good early-season gauge and there’s good competition up here at all weights,” Panthers coach Nick Miller said. “Every one of our kids got pushed somewhere. Some performed really well and all of them are going to go back to the room with something to work on and that’s what we want to get in the early season. It’s a process. In the years when it’s been applicable, I’ve always told the teams that won a state championship, I’m like ‘hey, you’re not the state champions, that was last year’s team and this is a brand new thing.’ So this is the start of that process. We’ve got a schedule that’s built to be really challenging to make sure that by the time that we reach the season’s end that we’re battle-tested. So we’re going to take the same approach and hope to see where the end of the year puts us.”
Haskins, a senior who won 34 matches and also qualified for the IHSA Finals last season, claimed third place with a 23-13 major decision over Providence Catholic freshman Jasper Harper. Hersey junior Frank Tagoe won a 16-12 decision over Westfallen to finish in fifth place. Lane Tech senior Nasser Hammouche won by fall in 4:52 over Barrington senior Silas Oberholtzer to capture seventh and York junior Jackson Hanselman claimed a 13-0 major decision over Grayslake Central junior Warren Nash for ninth place.
165 – Brody Sendele, Hononegah
Brody Sendele made quite a name for himself last season when he capped his freshman year at Hononegah by advancing to the IHSA Class 3A semifinals before capturing third place at 157 to cap a 47-3 season. Now he hopes that he and several of his teammates have what it takes to join an elite group of Indians who have won state championships. Sendele kicked off his sophomore season in style by being one of the four members of his team to win titles at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational by technical fall, with his win coming in 3:14 over Fenwick senior Aiden Burns in the 165 title match to repeat as a champion in the tournament.
Sendele, the top-seed in the competition, opened with a fall before getting wins by technical fall in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, defeating Fremd junior Lucas Nance in 4:41 to become one of the five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians, who took top honors in the 32-team competition with 283.5 points, which was 47.5 points better than runner-up Washington. Burns, who was the sixth-seed in the bracket, opened with a win by technical fall, followed with a major decision in the quarterfinals and then got another win by technical fall in 4:00 over Wheaton North junior Julian Flores to become the lone finalist for coach Seth Gamino’s Friars.
“I got first last year, too,” Sendele said. “We were missing a guy (Rocco Cassioppi) last year. We got him back, but his brother is hurt, so it feels good to get first this year. I’m excited to see what we’ll have at the end of the year, we just need to keep putting the work in. You have to just keep on working until you get to the top. I love this group of guys, we’re all so close, it’s like a family. We’re all hard-working, always there for each other and have each others’ backs the whole way, it’s really cool.”
Flores claimed third place with a 13-3 major decision over Nance while Hersey junior Grant Moga finished fifth after winning an 11-4 decision over Crystal Lake Central senior Tommy Tomasello. Washington junior Cruise Brolley placed seventh after winning a 15-5 major decision over Grant sophomore Grayson Lennon. And Grayslake Central junior William Lyle won a 7-1 decision over Libertyville’s Ethan Trowbridge to claim ninth place.
175 – Connor Diemel, Hononegah
Connor Diemel made it four-for-four for Hononegah competitors in the final round of the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational, with all of those being victories by technical fall, when he won in 2:06 over Plainfield South senior Colin Bickett in the 175 title match. The Indians, who scored 283.5 points to win the team title by 47.5 points over Washington, finally lost a title match right after Diemel’s triumph, but just barely, as Crystal Lake Central’s Cayden Parks prevailed over Kurt Smith 5-4 in the 190 championship match.
Diemel, a senior who went 45-7 last season and fell a bit short of getting a medal in the IHSA 3A Finals at 165, was the top seed at the weight while Bickett was the second-seed. He opened with a fall, won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and earned his spot as one of the five finalists for coach Tyler DeMoss’ Indians when he got a pin in 1:56 over Jacobs senior Owen Piazza in the semifinals. Bickett got a pin in his first match, won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and recorded a fall in 1:10 in the semifinals over Downers Grove South sophomore Noah Greene to become the lone finalist for coach Daniel Saracco’s Cougars.
“It’s awesome,” Diemel said. “It’s kind of fun to turn the corner and start having success, not just individually but also as a team. I want to take another big step this year and I’ve done that pretty much every year of my high school career. When you have one of the toughest matches that you’re going to wrestle all year every day in your wrestling room, it’s pretty hard to lose them on the big stage. I think we’re the closest team in the state. If we want to hang out with anyone, we hang out with each other. And whenever we’re in the wrestling room, we’re always having fun. And it’s a lot easier to get better when it’s not a grind than when it is.”
Hampshire senior Aidan Rowells won a 10-4 decision over Joliet West junior Zachary Cronk to take third place while Greene won by technical fall in 6:00 over Piazza in the fifth-place match. Grant sophomore Aaden Arroyo recorded a fall in 5:07 over Libertyville sophomore James Scanio to place seventh and in the ninth-place match, Bradley-Bourbonnais sophomore Kayden Roach was a winner by fall in 4:25 over Lane Tech senior Eyob Abebe.
190 – Cayden Parks, Crystal Lake Central
Cayden Parks wasn’t thrilled with having to go down to the wire in order to defeat Hononegah senior Kurt Smith by a 5-4 decision in the 190 title match at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational. But considering that his opponent’s school already had four title winners who all prevailed with wins by technical fall to help them easily wrap up the team title, the Crystal Lake Central senior was more than happy to walk away with the well-earned championship against a quality opponent.
Parks, who lost 9-2 to Rock Island’s Andrew Marquez in the 2024 IHSA Class 2A Finals to complete a 44-8 junior season, hopes to join an elite group of champions that the school has had during Justen Lehr’s tenure as coach. He was the top seed at the weight and was the lone finalist for the Tigers after opening with a fall, following that with two wins by technical fall and then capturing a 19-8 major decision over Wauconda senior Mike Merevick in the semifinals.
“Obviously, it’s great and I’m happy to win at the end,” Parks said. “It’s just the start of the season, the first tournament and obviously we’ve got a lot more to do. We’re going to get a lot better as the season goes on and you don’t want to hit your peak right now. Coach Lehr makes a schedule that he knows is going to be terrible for us throughout the whole year with hard match after hard match. So as soon as February comes, then we’re ready to go and not scared of anything and it always works out in the end. You just want to make sure that you build up the whole season so as soon as regionals come around, you’re at your best and you’re ready to go.”
Smith, who was one of five finalists and eight individuals who placed fifth or better for coach Tyler DeMoss’ team champion Indians, went 40-12 last season and qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Finals at 175. He opened with a fall and followed with two wins by technical fall before pulling out an 8-6 decision in the semifinals over Fenwick senior Jack Paris, who went on to claim third place with a 9-6 decision over Merevick. Grant junior Casey Gipson finished fifth after winning by technical fall in 5:05 over Libertyville junior Jack Treutelaar. In the seventh-place match, Lake Zurich freshman Rocco DiCanio won a 14-7 decision over Plainfield Central junior Ty Sabin and Washington junior Wyatt Leman won by fall in 3:06 over Prospect junior Brock Wrede to claim ninth place.
215 – Josh Hoffer, Washington
Josh Hoffer has already accomplished a lot during his first two seasons at Washington, going 39-12 last season and placing fourth in IHSA Class 2A at 190 after placing sixth at 195 in 2023 in addition to being a member of two Class 2A dual team championships. Beside helping his team to win another team title, the junior would like to do what his brother Justin achieved as a senior in 2023, which was winning an individual state championship. He opened this season in a good fashion by capturing the 215 title at the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with a 9-0 decision over Libertyville senior Caleb Baczek in the finals.
Hoffer, who was the top-seed in his bracket, joined Noah Woods and Wyatt Medlin as champions and was one four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s Panthers, who took second-place in the 32-team competition with 236 points. He opened with a win by technical fall, followed up with two pins and then earned his spot on the title mat with another win by technical fall, this time in 2:34 over Fenwick senior Patrick Gilboy. Baczek went 36-9 last season and fell one win shy of a state trip from the Barrington Sectional but was able to help his team to a fourth-place finish in Class 3A, which equaled Libertyville’s best previous finish at dual team state in 2008. The 2023 state qualifier, who was seeded third, opened with two first-period falls before winning a 2-1 decision in the quarterfinals over Crystal Lake Central senior Tommy McNeil and then captured a 12-1 major decision in the semifinals over Hampshire sophomore Carter Hintz to become the lone finalists for the Wildcats, who are coached by Dale Eggert, a 2015 Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum – Illinois Chapter and a 2000 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee.
“I thought that I did pretty well,” Hoffer said. “I kind of came out a little slow in the first couple of rounds but in that third match, I wrestled pretty well. Coming in on the second day I thought I wrestled pretty good on my first match of the day and I would have liked to score some more points but I think I also need to work more on finishing. I think we have a lot of hard workers in the room and our coaches do a good job of pushing us to our limits and getting us better. And we also have great competition with a good schedule that prepares us for February when we’re taking on state and team state.”
McNeil won by fall in 1:38 over Hintz to finish third and Gilboy captured a 10-6 decision over Barrington junior Clarence Jackson for fifth. In the seventh-place match, Lyons Township senior Nicholas Arquilla claimed a 7-5 decision over Elk Grove senior Dylan Berkowitz and for ninth, Stevenson senior Everett Ciezak won by technical fall in 2:59 over Grant junior Matthew Longabaugh.
285 – Owen Jakubczak, Fremd
Owen Jakubczak entered the Moore-Prettyman-Dunn Invitational with nothing to lose and then the Fremd junior who was the eighth seed at his weight went on to not lose any of his matches as he captured the first tournament title of his high school career, capping his run through the 285 bracket with a fall in 3:33 over Washington junior Sean Thornton, who was the second-seed, for the championship.
Jakubczak, who went 22-16 last season and failed to advance from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, opened with two falls before winning a 5-0 decision in the quarterfinals over the top-seed, Elk Grove senior Mikey Milovich. He earned his spot in the final championship match of the day when he captured a 4-1 decision over Plainfield Central senior Anthony Minnito in the semifinals to become one of three finalists and then ultimately joined OWA recipient Evan Gosz as one of two champions for coach Jeff Keske’s Vikings. Thornton, who fell one win shy of advancing from the Sycamore Sectional but helped his team to win the Class 2A dual team title to cap a 42-14 season, was one of four finalists for coach Nick Miller’s runner-up Panthers. After opening with two falls, Thornton claimed a 10-3 decision in the quarterfinals and then won by fall in 2:28 over Waubonsie Valley junior Leonidas Hobson in the semifinals.
“This is my first tournament win actually,” Jakubczak said. “Before this, I got second place in one tournament and that’s the best that I’ve done. I think it was my confidence level going into it. Although I did get better from last year, I was nervous going up against the older guys. The guys in our wrestling room, they work really hard. After practice, all of my friends are in the wrestling room or they’re trying to get me to stay after to do extra conditioning or put some more work in for another hour. I like how close our team is. I think we’re going to be good this year just because we are a good team but we also have good relationships and that makes practices better. It feels really good. I’m really happy I finally won a tournament.”
Minnito won by fall in 3:19 over Milovich to claim third place while Providence Catholic senior Michael Fisk won by fall in 2:47 over Hobson for fifth place. Libertyville junior Erich Walldorf claimed a 4-0 decision over Lyons Township junior Jimmy Hillman to take seventh and Crystal Lake Central junior Logan Gough got a fall in 4:23 over Washington sophomore Marqwuan Young to claim ninth place.
106
1st Place Match
Niko Odiotti (Loyola Academy) 4-0, Fr. over Vince DeMarco (Grayslake Central) 3-1, So. (Dec 7-1)
3rd Place Match
Symon Woods (Washington) 4-1, Jr. over Christian Corcoran (Providence Catholic) 5-2, Fr. (SV-1 13-10)
5th Place Match
Kristian DeClercq (Hononegah) 4-2, So. over Daniel Berdich (Stevenson) 4-3, Fr. (Fall 0:58)
7th Place Match
Carter Hutchinson (Grant) 5-2, Jr. over Matthew Blanke (Barrington) 3-3, Fr. (Dec 7-2)
9th Place Match
Lucas Crandall (Fremd) 5-2, Fr. over Daniel Hyde (Wheaton North) 4-3, So. (MD 16-4)
113
1st Place Match
Kaleb Pratt (Barrington) 4-0, So. over Evan Mishels (Stevenson) 3-1, Jr. (Fall 5:51)
3rd Place Match
Jackson Marlett (Crystal Lake Central) 4-1, So. over Lucas Forsythe (Providence Catholic) 4-2, Fr. (Dec 6-3)
5th Place Match
Jakob Crandall (Joliet West) 6-2, Jr. over Nate Ortiz (Providence Catholic) 5-3, Fr. (MD 15-4)
7th Place Match
Cole Anselmi (Hersey) 4-2, So. over Nicholas Ruiz (Wauconda) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 9-4)
9th Place Match
Zach Hoffner (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 3-2, So. over Lucas Bach (Washington) 3-3, So. (Fall 2:35)
120
1st Place Match
Noah Woods (Washington) 4-0, Sr. over Ismael Chaidez (Glenbard East) 3-1, Jr. (Dec 11-6)
3rd Place Match
Jackson Olson (Hononegah) 6-1, Jr. over Ryan Dorn (Barrington) 3-2, So. (MD 11-2)
5th Place Match
Gavin Rockey (Wauconda) 3-2, Sr. over Danny Lehman (Hersey) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 11-7)
7th Place Match
Joseph Pedrosa (Joliet West) 5-2, So. over Krish Sahu (Grayslake Central) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 8-2)
9th Place Match
Enrique Garcia (Jacobs) 5-2, Fr. over Rocco Macellaio (Wheaton North) 3-3, So. (MD 25-11)
126
1st Place Match
Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) 4-0, So. over Vince Jasinski (Grant) 3-1, Jr. (TF 3:14 (19-2))
3rd Place Match
Riddick Variano (Hersey) 5-1, Sr. over Caden Cahill (Wheaton North) 6-2, Jr. (Fall 2:46)
5th Place Match
Ben Arbotante (Jacobs) 6-2, Jr. over Tommy Banas (Providence Catholic) 2-3, So. (For.)
7th Place Match
Roger Martinez (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Dylan Ramsey (Crystal Lake Central) 2-3, Jr. (MD 22-9)
9th Place Match
Saul Ramirez (Barrington) 5-2, Jr. over Jakob Gruca (Sandwich) 3-3, Sr. (TF 5:26 (22-6))
132
1st Place Match
Shawn Kogan (Stevenson) 5-0, Jr. over Griff Powell (Lyons Township) 4-1, Jr. (Dec 15-14)
3rd Place Match
Elijah Garza (Hersey) 5-1, Sr. over Anthony Mayen (Hinsdale Central) 6-2, Jr. (TF 2:45 (19-1))
5th Place Match
Mondo Martinelli (York) 5-2, Sr. over Alex Valentin (Lane Tech) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 4:56)
7th Place Match
Sammy Mendez (Grant) 5-2, Sr. over Jadon Dinwiddie (Downers Grove South) 3-3, So. (Dec 9-3)
9th Place Match
Liam Halloran (Grayslake Central) 4-2, Sr. over Marquan Godfrey (Joliet West) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 13-8)
138
Guaranteed Places
1st Place Match
TJ Silva (Hononegah) 5-0, Sr. over Drew Fifield (Fremd) 4-1, Jr. (TF 2:15 (18-2))
3rd Place Match
Erik Rodriguez (Grant) 5-1, Jr. over Mikey Polyakov (Stevenson) 4-2, So. (MD 14-5)
5th Place Match
Adrian Hernandez (Joliet West) 5-2, Sr. over Andrew Langas (Wheaton North) 5-3, Jr. (MD 16-4)
7th Place Match
Brennan O`Donnell (Barrington) 4-2, Jr. over Max Kenny (Fenwick) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 5:30)
9th Place Match
Nolan Variano (Hersey) 5-2, So. over Claudio Rodriguez (Lyons Township) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 8-3)
144
1st Place Match
Evan Gosz (Fremd) 5-0, Sr. over Maksim Mukhamedaliyev (Hersey) 4-1, Sr. (TF 3:55 (18-3))
3rd Place Match
Frank Nitti (York) 5-1, Jr. over Cooper Corder (Sandwich) 5-2, So. (SV-1 8-5)
5th Place Match
Peyton Cox (Washington) 4-2, Sr. over Brian Hart (Wauconda) 4-3, So. (MD 12-3)
7th Place Match
Jack Kutchek (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Vermaat VanderBrug (Lane Tech) 4-3, Sr. (MD 11-3)
9th Place Match
Jack Bowen (Plainfield Central) 4-2, Sr. over Andrew Pellicci (Providence Catholic) 4-3, Fr. (Dec 9-3)
150
1st Place Match
Justus Heeg (Providence Catholic) 4-0, Fr. over Carson Weber (Joliet West) 3-1, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)
3rd Place Match
Daniel Blanke (Barrington) 4-1, So. over Benjamin Gorny (York) 5-2, Jr. (MD 18-5)
5th Place Match
Valentin Vihrov (Stevenson) 4-2, Jr. over Rodrigo Arceo (Hersey) 2-3, Sr. (For.)
7th Place Match
Chris Napiorkowski (Hampshire) 4-2, Sr. over Quentin Conkle (Grayslake Central) 3-3, Sr. (TF 4:57 (18-2))
9th Place Match
Nate Flores (Grant) 5-2, Sr. over Wyatt Roland (Wauconda) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 5-2)
157
1st Place Match
Wyatt Medlin (Washington) 4-0, Jr. over Thomas Fulton (Wheaton North) 4-1, Sr. (MD 13-3)
3rd Place Match
Max Haskins (Hononegah) 5-1, Sr. over Jasper Harper (Providence Catholic) 6-2, Fr. (MD 23-13)
5th Place Match
Frank Tagoe (Hersey) 5-2, Jr. over Bennett Westfallen (Prospect) 3-3, Jr. (Dec 16-12)
7th Place Match
Nasser Hammouche (Lane Tech) 4-2, Sr. over Silas Oberholtzer (Barrington) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 4:52)
9th Place Match
Jackson Hanselman (York) 4-2, Jr. over Warren Nash (Grayslake Central) 4-3, Jr. (MD 13-0)
165
1st Place Match
Brody Sendele (Hononegah) 4-0, So. over Aiden Burns (Fenwick) 4-1, Sr. (TF 3:14 (17-2))
3rd Place Match
Julian Flores (Wheaton North) 4-1, Jr. over Lucas Nance (Fremd) 3-2, Jr. (MD 13-3)
5th Place Match
Grant Moga (Hersey) 5-2, Jr. over Tommy Tomasello (Crystal Lake Central) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 11-4)
7th Place Match
Cruise Brolley (Washington) 3-2, Jr. over Grayson Lennon (Grant) 3-3, So. (MD 15-5)
9th Place Match
William Lyle (Grayslake Central) 5-2, Jr. over Ethan Trowbridge (Libertyville) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 7-1)
175
1st Place Match
Connor Diemel (Hononegah) 4-0, Sr. over Colin Bickett (Plainfield South) 3-1, Sr. (TF 2:06 (19-3))
3rd Place Match
Aidan Rowells (Hampshire) 6-1, Sr. over Zachary Cronk (Joliet West) 5-2, Jr. (Dec 10-4)
5th Place Match
Noah Greene (Downers Grove South) 3-2, So. over Owen Piazza (Jacobs) 3-3, Sr. (TF 6:00 (20-3))
7th Place Match
Aaden Arroyo (Grant) 4-2, So. over James Scanio (Libertyville) 3-3, So. (Fall 5:07)
9th Place Match
Kayden Roach (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 5-2, So. over Eyob Abebe (Lane Tech) 4-3, Sr. (Fall 4:25)
190
1st Place Match
Cayden Parks (Crystal Lake Central) 5-0, Sr. over Kurt Smith (Hononegah) 4-1, Sr. (Dec 5-4)
3rd Place Match
Jack Paris (Fenwick) 5-1, Sr. over Mike Merevick (Wauconda) 4-2, Sr. (Dec 9-6)
5th Place Match
Casey Gipson (Grant) 5-2, Jr. over Jack Treutelaar (Libertyville) 4-3, Jr. (TF 5:05 (17-0))
7th Place Match
Rocco DiCanio (Lake Zurich) 5-2, Fr. over Ty Sabin (Plainfield Central) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 14-7)
9th Place Match
Wyatt Leman (Washington) 4-2, Jr. over Brock Wrede (Prospect) 4-3, Jr. (Fall 3:06)
215
1st Place Match
Josh Hoffer (Washington) 5-0, Jr. over Caleb Baczek (Libertyville) 4-1, Sr. (MD 9-0)
3rd Place Match
Tommy McNeil (Crystal Lake Central) 6-1, Sr. over Carter Hintz (Hampshire) 4-2, So. (Fall 1:38)
5th Place Match
Patrick Gilboy (Fenwick) 4-2, Sr. over Clarence Jackson (Barrington) 4-3, Jr. (Dec 10-6)
7th Place Match
Nicholas Arquilla (Lyons Township) 4-2, Sr. over Dylan Berkowitz (Elk Grove) 3-3, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
9th Place Match
Everett Ciezak (Stevenson) 5-2, Sr. over Matthew Longabaugh (Grant) 4-3, Jr. (TF 2:59 (16-0))
285
1st Place Match
Owen Jakubczak (Fremd) 5-0, Jr. over Sean Thornton (Washington) 4-1, Jr. (Fall 3:33)
3rd Place Match
Anthony Minnito (Plainfield Central) 5-1, Sr. over Mikey Milovich (Elk Grove) 4-2, Sr. (Fall 3:19)
5th Place Match
Michael Sisk (Providence Catholic) 5-2, Sr. over Leonidas Hobson (Waubonsie Valley) 3-3, Jr. (Fall 2:47)
7th Place Match
Erich Walldorf (Libertyville) 4-2, Jr. over Jimmy Hillman (Lyons Township) 3-3, Jr. (Dec 4-0)
9th Place Match
Logan Gough (Crystal Lake Central) 5-2, Jr. over Marqwuan Young (Washington) 4-3, So. (Fall 4:23)
Team standings
1. Hononegah 283.5, 2. Washington 236, 3. Hersey 211, 4. Stevenson 180.5, 5. Providence Catholic 178.5, 6. Grant 170, 7. Barrington 167.5, 8. Crystal Lake Central 154.5, 9. Fremd 154, 9. Wheaton North 154, 11. Joliet West 142.5, 12. Lyons Township 125, 13. Fenwick 123.5, 14. Wauconda 109.5, 15. York 99.5, 16. Libertyville 99, 17. Grayslake Central 96.5, 18. Hampshire 91.5, 19. Glenbard East 71.5, 20. Prospect 66.5, 21. Jacobs 66, 22. Downers Grove South 61.5, 23. Plainfield Central 60, 24. Sandwich 59.5, 25. Elk Grove 58.5, 26. Plainfield South 57, 27. Bradley-Bourbonnais 54.5, 28. Lane Tech 53.5, 29. Loyola Academy 50, 30. Hinsdale Central 36, 31. Lake Zurich 33, 32. Waubonsie Valley 25.5.