Mahomet-Seymour takes inaugural Libertyville Invite
By Mike Garofola for the IWCOA
When piecing together the first-ever Libertyville Invite, the Hall-of-Fame head coach of the Wildcats wanted to make sure he put together a diverse field that would furnish those on hand quality all throughout the weight divisions, while giving wrestling fans plenty of state-ranked men to have a good look at.
Libertyville coach Dale Eggert would achieve his goal – in fact, inviting three top 15 class 2A clubs would prove to be exactly what he had hoped for, with No. 5 Mahomet-Seymour, No. 7 Deerfield and No. 14 Wheeling relentless in their quest to lift the championship trophy at day’s end.
When it was all over, it would be Rob Ledin’s men from Mahomet-Seymour who took home the silverware over Deerfield and Wheeling.
“I obviously was very happy with the performance of our team,” Ledin said. “We’ve had a grueling stretch in our schedule, so to put eight into the finals with a field like this one was very special.”
That stretch Ledin spoke of would begin with a two-day tournament at Mascoutah on December 19, followed by the Bulldogs Christmas Multi-Quad duals at home, before heading north to the Mid-States in Whitewater, Wisconsin on the 23rd of December.
The Bulldogs, who were involved in a see-saw affair with Deerfield and Wheeling for most of the day, would weather an early storm from Deerfield, which was off to a blistering start in the final session of this tournament, capturing four of the first five individual titles.
However, from there the tide would slowly turn in favor of the eventual champs, who at one time were even with the Warriors at 180 points apiece, with Wheeling within striking distance at 170.5 points.
Championship efforts from two of its upper weight stars, Talon Decker (165) and Marco Casillas (190), would ultimately allow Mahomet-Seymour to hold off Deerfield. The Bulldogs finished with 194.0 overall points, 14 more than the Warriors and 23.5 better than Wheeling.
Naperville North (158.0), which matched Mahomet-Seymour with 13 pins on the day, finished fourth, with Maine South fifth with 124.0 points.
Wheeling had a tourney-best seven tech-falls, and the most total match points (387) with Austin Brown recording the most total match points with 88.
“We are a very young team with just one senior, with 29 freshmen and sophomores, so we’ll have some decisions to make at a couple of the weight classes,” began Ledin.
“We’ve been getting the feet wet of our younger guys, but now we will make some moves to put those kids into our starting lineup as the postseason is approaching.”
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS:
Mahomet-Seymour 194.0, Deerfield 180.0, Wheeling 170.5, Naperville North 158.0, Maine South 124.0, Libertyville 123.5, Johnsburg 120.5, Schaumburg 112.0, DePaul College Prep 89.0, Lake Park 86.5, Vernon Hills 76.0, Cary-Grove 73.0, Round Lake 30.0
Individual champions
106- Jake Pechter (Deerfield)
In this, his rookie season, Jake Pechter has quickly become a key figure for Deerfield, and the perfect ‘lead-off’ man in a young Warriors lineup that would feature two freshmen and three sophomores.
Pechter would win his second straight major following his well played 8-2 decision over Myles Hartzler (16-14) from Mahomet-Seymour in a contest that saw Pechter (25-2) take an early lead with a take-down en route to an 8-2 victory.
“An early take-down really helps set the tone for any match, and it really helps the confidence against your opponents,” opined Pechter, after earning his second tournament trophy of the season thus far.
“I felt pretty confident I could turn him as the match went on, but in the end, it was being strong when I was on bottom to start the third period,” added Pechter, No. 5 in the state, whose reversal improved his advantage to 8-2 late in this contest.
Tommy Katz (Wheeling) was third, Anand Verma (Libertyville) fourth, and Naperville North sophomore Quinn Karstens fifth.
113- Jayme Cohen (Deerfield)
It would be another talented freshman from Deerfield who would come through with a second straight title run when Jayme Cohen overcame a fast start from Charles Dominguez (Vernon Hills, 16-7) to garner a hard fought 6-4 decision.
“It was important for me to stay composed after that takedown I gave up. It’s all about the progress and process in order to win matches like these,” said Cohen, now 19-5 on the season.
Cohen would get himself back within one at 3-2 with a late first-period reversal, then draw back level at 3-3 with an easy escape to begin the second period.
No. 7-rated Cohen took the lead for good at 6-3 three minutes with a nicely-executed takedown, but after Dominguez escaped near the edge, the Cougars sophomore required medical attention that led to a long delay.
Dominguez, who recently finished second at Harvard, and would defeat top seed Frankie Katz (Wheeling) in his semifinal, began the third period down and Cohen rode him out for the title.
“My defense in this match was good, and I knew I could ride him hard for most of the third period,” said Cohen.
No. 10 Frankie Katz claimed third place over Adam Beedon (Naperville North) after his 8-4 decision, and Kai Surdick (Johnsburg) was fifth.
120- Chase Vogel (Johnsburg)
No. 6 in 1A Chase Vogel continued his terrific sophomore campaign with his first major title, following his 4-0 defensive masterpiece victory over Jorey Becker (21-7) from Deerfield.
The 2025 state qualifier rode Becker out for the entire two minutes in the second period, before an escape to begin the third period preceded a take-down near the edge with one minute remaining that ensured his title.
“When I look back to last year, I knew I could be a lot better in many parts of my game, and this year my confidence on my feet and with fakes is so much better than last year,” admitted Vogel, who was the No. 1 seed here.
Vogel, 35-9 a year ago, finished second at regionals and sectionals to eventual state runner-up Austin Hagevold (Marian Central Catholic) who is a two-time state medal winner, and currently No. 2 (class 2A) in the most recent state poll.
“After getting downstate last year, my expectations for this year are to get on the podium in Champaign,” added Vogel.
Lake Park sophomore Liam Lovelace (16-5) used a tech-fall victory over Connor Marschek (DePaul College Prep) to earn third place honors, while Christian Giron from Wheeling claimed fifth place overall.
126- Danny Martinez (Deerfield)
Danny Martinez made his way to the top of the podium by defeating DePaul’s second-seeded Colin Bosak in his semifinal, then No. 3 seed Tyler Wuh (Libertyville, 18-8) to grab his first major title of the season.
Bosak (18-4) came back from a 6-0 defeat to Martinez to defeat David Perez (Wheeling) for third place, while Archer Biag (Naperville North) earned a fifth place medal.
“My defense is way better than last year, and so is my shot selection. With better defense and more in my attack, I feel like I can trust those two parts of my game much more than I did last year,” said Martinez.
The Warriors’ junior took the lead with a first-period takedown 90 seconds into this contest, conceded an escape to Wuh, then regained his three-point advantage a 4-1 with an escape of his own at the very beginning of the second period.
“I know we both wanted that first takedown, so I knew how important it would be for me to get it first,” admitted Martinez.
Wuh would defend an ankle pick near the edge later on in the second period, but the Libertyville junior was unable to defend another attempt from Martinez (24-7) on the other side of the mat to push the lead to 7-1.
A late take-down from Wuh would make it a 7-4 final result.
132- Adrian Cohen (Deerfield)
No. 3 Deerfield junior Adrian Cohen would win his fourth major title of the season following his pin of Gideon Hayter (22-8) in a top-heavy 132-pound weight division.
Cohen, now 26-1, would earn serious consideration for outstanding wrestler honors at tourney’s end.
A state qualifier with 42 victories last year, Cohen was part of a terrific 132-pound weight class with four state-ranked men as part of the top four seeds, including his opponent in the final, No. 7 Hayter from Mahomet-Seymour.
Before these two would meet, Cohen had to get past the veteran from Maine South, Brett Harman (20-4) who will be one of the top seeds at the Conant sectional come February.
In a wide-open affair, Cohen would catch and pass Harman with a late takedown near the edge in the second period on his way to a 14-9 triumph.
Hayter would have his hands full with Naperville North’s Michael Arredondo, who was 2-6 a year ago, and has come back with a superb senior year thus far, now 20-4 after this weekend.
In another thrilling semifinal bout, Hayter would hold off Arredondo in a wild back-and-forth third period to advance with an 11-10 victory.
The final would provide little drama as it would be all Adrian Cohen, who would score at will, including a near-fall at the whistle to end the second period in the lead at 10-1.
“I felt good all day here in all of my matches – maybe just a little panic along the way but always composed,” said Cohen.
Harman would earn a third place medal with his pin of Arredondo with Chase Davis (Johnsburg) fifth overall.
138- Aiden Quevedo (Schaumburg)
After missing some time due to illness, and being away with his family, Aiden Quevado has returned with the wind fully in his sails, sending the Schaumburg junior to a well-deserved 138-pound title, his first of the year.
“I began at the Conant sectional last year with a fall, then lost my next match, before being eliminated in a sudden death blood-round loss, so during the offseason I worked so hard at Team Elite, and in the room with coach Mike Levanti because I don’t want my season to end like it did last year,” said Quevedo.
Quevado and his older brother AJ were key figures in the Saxons third consecutive regional title last year, and eventual first=ever 3A dual-team state appearance.
The Quevedo brothers were two of five champions at the Lake Park regional.
Quevedo (8-4) who began the tournament as the No. 4 seed, opened with a tech-fall, followed by a pin, and another tech-fall to send him into the final where he recorded a 14-2 major decision victory over Emmett Mazukelli (17-7) from Maine South.
Anthony Vargas (Lake Park) was third, Jack Jansen (Deerfield) fourth, and Jacob Turner (26-4) from Cary-Grove fifth.
144- Nicholas Merola (Lake Park)
If you talk to Nicholas Merola (17-1) after one of his three tournament championships earned, the Lake Park senior is rarely satisfied with the trophies he has claimed.
“I can always be better. There are parts of my game that just need to be better if I hope to get onto the podium and challenge for a state title,” admitted Merola just moments after his pin of Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour, 21-7) at 2:43.
“It is important that I set the bar high for myself in order to challenge myself, and to attack, continue to score points throughout my matches, and always wrestle above my opponent, regardless of their ability and talent,” opined Merola, now with with silverware obtained at the Rex Lewis, and most recently the Erb tournament.
Deerfield sophomore Ben Howard was third, Ignacio Santander (Cary-Grove) fourth, and Schaumburg junior Brody Hinkle fifth.
150- Garrett Waisath (Mahomet-Seymour)
Garrett Waisath (23-7) would jump-start a strong Mahomet-Seymour upper-weight group to help the Bulldogs finally put both Deerfield and Wheeling in its rear view mirror, and on its way to the team title.
The Bulldogs junior would be the first of three individual champions for coach Rob Ledin’s club, and one of five who would earn second-place medals to give the eventual champions all they would need before lifting the big trophy.
“Waisath, along with Myles Hartzler, Weston Neutz, and Chris Dill broke the seal of previous placing finishes to make it to their first final of the season,” said Ledin.
“We are very lucky to be in a great room, and for those of us at the upper weighs, the hard work, focus and intensity between all of us when we are training is what helps all of us when we go out and compete,” said Waisath, now 23-7 after his tense 2-1 decision over Kai Balice (18-6) from Naperville North.
“That was not an easy match at all, I felt my defense had to be at its best because it was that type of match,” admitted Waisath.
Prior to this final, the Bulldogs were even with Deerfield, with each having 180.0 points, followed close by Wheeling at 170.5.
Tanner Jansen (Johnsburg) was third after his tech-fall victory over Levi Ardente (Cary-Grove) while Austin Berger from Wheeling was fifth.
157- Caden Ljubenko (Maine South)
Caden Ljubenko is taking all of his success during the first half of the season in stride – flying under the radar is exactly how the affable Maine South senior wants it to be from here on out.
“That’s how I want it to be for me, just lying in the weeds, barely inside the Top 10 – kind of an unknown guy until the post season begins,” said Ljubenko with a wry smile after his day of dominating the 157-pound weight class came to an end.
The No. 9-rated man in the state roared into the final after a quick 22-second pin to open his day, followed by a major decision victory to set up a match against top seed Weston Neutz from Mahomet-Seymour.
“I spend a lot of extra time working during the offseason on improving on my feet, my quickness, pace, neutral – so I feel like I’ll be ready to put together a strong late-season run,” continued Ljubenko, who would like nothing more to match the post-season heroics of former Hawks star, and 2024 state champion Teddy Flores.
Ljubenko (17-3) who plans on pursuing a degree in exercise science, and later a career in kinesiology, used a late near-fall in the second period to open up an insurmountable 10-0 advantage.
Narciso Gonzalez (Round Lake) was third, Leonardo Zavala (Cary-Grove) was fourth, and Johnsburg senior Kainoa Ancog fifth.
165- Talon Decker (Mahomet-Seymour)
No. 9 (class 2A) Talon Decker claimed his team-high fourth major title of the season with his hard fought, well deserved 10-5 decision over Vernon Hills junior Jacob Becker, who was in search of his third championship trophy of the season.
“I watched a little bit of his (Becker) semifinal that he won with a tech-fall, and he looked long and strong – so I knew I had to be smart, defend well, finish my shots, and score when I had the opportunity to do so,” said Decker, now 18-2.
After a scoreless first period, Decker took a 4-3 lead into the third period where he would start down.
An easy out for an escape would eventually become an 8-3 advantage, then 8-5 when Becker executed a reversal.
The Bulldogs junior, who was the top seed in this weight class, doubled his advantage to 10-5 where it would end.
“I’ve got two great partners in the room: Weston Neutz our 57-pounder, and Justus Vrona, who was our 44-pounder offers the perfect guy to train with because he is so quick,” said Decker, who was a state qualifier last season with a record of 38-15.
Wheeling senior Nicholas Montesinos won by decision over MSL rival Daniel Duran from Schaumburg in the third place match, with Jonathan Weissmueller from Deerfield fifth.
175- Ethan Trowbridge (Libertyville)
Ethan Trowbridge gave the home side fans plenty to celebrate when the Libertyville senior claimed the 175-pound title before an appreciative audience that watched him climb atop the podium to accept his first championship trophy of the season.
“It feels great to win here at home, and for it to be my first ever varsity title of my career,” said Trowbridge, whose remarkable 180 from a year ago has not gone unnoticed by head coach Dale Eggert.
“(Ethan) has been really solid this season, but I am not surprised because his work ethic has been terrific, as has the extra work he’s put in since the end of last season,” says Eggert.
Trowbridge, now 16-7 after his 4-0 victory over Christopher Dill (Mahomet-Seymour) was 24-20 a year ago – prompting the affable two-year starter to fine tune several parts of his game.
“Improving my fitness was important, being able to go hard for six minutes was something that I worked a lot on, plus I focused a lot on improving my fireman’s carry, Russian, tilts and fakes in order to make my attack more dangerous,” said Trowbridge.
It would be a reversal off the whistle to begin the second period that would be enough for Trowbridge to go on to victory – adding another two-point reversal 90 seconds from time to close out Dill for good.
Marty Greif from Maine South was third, Drew Sendre (DePaul College Prep) fourth, and David Hurrie (Naperville North) fifth overall.
190- Marco Casillas (Mahomet-Seymour)
Another brilliant effort from Mahomet-Seymour sophomore Marco Casillas (23-2) would send the Bulldogs star atop the podium for the third time this season, and net the No. 4 man at 190 his second outstanding wrestler award of the campaign as well.
“It all starts in the room where we have a great coaching staff, and, for me, great partners to train with – and this year, compared to last season, I feel more positive about the direction I am headed, knowing each day I go into the room, I will be better coming out,” said Casillas, who won at Mascoutah, and won the OWA at the E-Rab Giardini in Rockford in early December.
Casillas pinned his way to his 190-pound crown, needing just under 5 1/2 minutes to do so in his three matches, including his final contest against James Scanio (Libertyville, 18-5) who beat the No. 2 seed, Duke Mays (Johnsburg, 20-4) with a pin in his semifinal.
Casillas, third a year ago at state, set a program record 54 wins a year ago, dropping his lone match of the year against eventual state champion Brody Kelly (8-2) in his state semifinal.
A pair of major decision consolation victories would give him his well deserved top three state finish.
No. 7 (class 1A) Duke Mays (Johnsburg) pinned Astan Lokhov (Wheeling) for third place, while JT Hill from Naperville North did the same to earn fifth place.
215- Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville North)
A superb three-match performance from Tarvik Ibragimov would send the Naperville North senior on his way to claim his second major title of the season and help solidify his spot at the No. 4 spot in his weight class.
“I know I have some very good guys in front of me in the state polls, but it’s not something that I give much thought to, because, if you remember, Charles Walker went into the state tournament, was No. 3 or 4 and went on to win a state title,” said Ibragimov.
Ibragimov was referencing the stunning three-day tournament that the aforementioned Walker put together as he went through the 215-pound favorites, including No. 1 Kai Calcutt to it all.
“I put a lot of extra time in during the summer, and I’ve continued to work hard – just going out and putting together a solid effort, being smart, and trying to stay healthy for the postseason,” continued Ibragimov, who will do a pre-dental course in college with an eye on becoming an oral surgeon.
After opening his tournament with a pin, Ibragimov (24-0) bagged back-to-back tech-falls, including his 15-0 (3:44) effort over Eddie Juarez (19-4) from Wheeling.
Jackson Hjorth (Johnsburg) was third, Antonin Svaboda (Lake Park) fourth, and Aaron Alvarez from Johnsburg fifth.
285- Hunter Wahtola (DePaul College Prep)
The target of being the No. 2 man in the class 2A heavyweight division bestowed upon Hunter Wahtola does not faze the DePaul College Prep senior, who is looking to stay sharp and ready for what lies ahead come February.
The two-sport star (football) won his fourth tournament title of the season following his hard fought 8-4 victory over No. 8 Pablo Morales (15-3) from Wheeling.
“I like that as a class 2A team that we come to tournaments that offer big-school opponents and competition for all of us. It’s a great chance for all of us to see where we are at as we head into the second half of the season,” said Wahtola, now 22-1, with his lone defeat of the year coming at the hands of Loyola Academy star Kai Calcutt, who is No. 1 in the state at 215-pounds.
The Rams junior, who stands 6-3, 235 pounds, was named the Chicago Catholic League Purple Division defensive player of the year for his work along the defensive line, while also adding quality play at the fullback position.
On his way to his second straight state appearance downstate last season, Wahtola would defeat current No. 3 heavyweight, Anthony Sebastian (IC-Catholic) at regionals, sectionals, and later for third place to end his sophomore campaign with a 36-11 overall record.
Christofer Arciniega-Sanchez (Schaumburg) was third, Jake Johnson (Naperville North) fourth, and Aleks Nikolich from Libertyville fifth.