Naperville Central wins Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy Knights Invitational
By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA
Naperville Central enjoyed its best season in over a decade in 2023-2024 when it followed up on a DuPage Valley Conference championship with a title at the Class 3A East Aurora Regional and then defeated the hosts 40-21 in the Downers Grove South Class 3A Dual Team Sectional to earn its first appearance in the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2012.
Although coach Noah Fitzenreider’s Redhawks graduated several key members from the school’s third-ever team to earn a trip to dual team state, it returns a significant number of individuals that helped them to get to Bloomington, where they put up a good fight before falling 36-29 to eventual runner-up Yorkville in the quarterfinals to conclude a 20-7 season.
While Naperville Central aspires to make a return trip to state, all involved realize that it will be a challenge considering the regional and dual team sectional that they will participate in.
The Redhawks, ranked 14th in the latest polls, are one of four ranked teams in the Class 3A Naperville North Regional, with the others being Carl Sandburg (4th), Downers Grove North (17th) and Glenbard West (25th), making that the only one in 3A with four top-25 teams.
The other three regionals feature three of the top 10 teams in the class with top-ranked Marist at Downers Grove South, second-ranked Marmion Academy at its own regional and 10th-ranked and defending state champions Mount Carmel at Morton.
Boosted by a second-place finish behind third-ranked Joliet Catholic Academy at Prospect’s Mudge-McMorrow Invite on December 14, the Redhawks wanted to keep busy after competing in DeKalb’s Flavin dual meet tournament on December 27-28.
They got the chance to do that in the only boys tournament in the Chicago-area and one of the few in Illinois on Saturday, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Knights Invitational in Chicago.
Naperville Central had seven champions and 13 in the top three to help it score 311.5 points, which was 68.5 ahead of runner-up Buffalo Grove, who had 243 points while Zion-Benton took third place with 161 points. Chicago Agricultural Sciences (110), Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy (110), Northridge Prep (100) and Crete-Monee (98) rounded out the top half of the 14-team field.
Winning championships for the Redhawks were Jacob Cochran (132), Vince Bern (138), CJ Bierman (150), Justin Skryd (157), Henry Rydwelski (175), Paul Peradotti (190) and William Erbeck (285) while Dalton Meluch (106), Jake Moore (120) and Nicolas Olvera (165) took second place. Finishing third were Jack Schwartz (113), James Ball (126) and Stavros Gerousis (144) while Jayden Davis (215) placed sixth.
The runner-up Bison, coached by George Beres, had three title winners, Oleksandr Havrylkiv (113), Mykola Shamray (120) and Bohdan Malaksianov (144) while Stone McKone (106), Anthony Laguna (132), Khurshedov Jahongir (157), Sonny Tugs (175) and Christiano Marogy (215) took third place. Anthoni Valladares (126) and Chris Chi (165) finished fourth, Aleksander Krotosyznski (190) took fifth place and David Karapetyan (138) placed sixth.
The third-place Zee-Bees, coached by Hal Lunsford, were led by five second-place finishers, Luis Medina (138), Demar Dixon (157), Francisco Yilmaz (175), Tyson Poyer (190) and Isaiah Tellado (285) while Brayden Sroka (106) claimed fourth place, Said Vazquez (126) finished fifth and Davin Esparagoza (144), Ian Serkanic (150) and Anthony Malone (165) took sixth place. Medina and Yilmaz won titles in last year’s tournament.
Other champions were Northridge Prep’s Joe Kopecky (126) and Adam Haddad (165), Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Jeremy Powell, Jr. (106) and Crete-Monee’s Malakai Scott (215). This was the third year in a row that Haddad won a championship in the competition while Scott was a runner-up in last year’s tournament.
Skryd led all competitors with 29.5 team points while Erbeck, Kopecky and Shamray tied for second with 28 points and Scott was next with 27.5 points. Bern and Haddad both had 27 points, Malaksianov and Rydwelski tied with 26 points and Peradotti scored 25.5 team points.
Also finishing in second place were Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Elijah Sawyer (113) and Maurice Bush (144), Little Village’s Jovanni Harris (126), Ridgewood’s Mohamad Khater (132), Kelly’s Leovardo Juarez (150) and Eisenhower’s Rayshawn Doles (215). Sawyer and Harris were champions in the tournament last season.
Additional third-place finishers were Crete-Monee’s Jaylene Johnson (165) and Kijuan Springfield (190), Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Kingston Sawyer (120), Kelly’s Cliffon Johnson (138), Northridge Prep’s George McShane (150) and Lindblom’s Josue Olivo (285).
Other fourth-place finishers were Westinghouse’s Jamari Starr (113), Eric Magana (215) and Tyler Brooks (285), Little Village’s Benito Chavez (120), Anthony Suarez (138) and Felipe Juan Aguilar Urbina (157), Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Isaah Poole (132), Xavier Woods (150) and Dylan Wilborn (190), Kelly’s Awwal Ogunsolu (144) and Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville’s Caleb Gordon (175). Woods was a champion in last year’s tournament.
Also claiming fifth-place finishes were Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Keandre Beal (106), Isaiah Diaz (138), Jayden Veal (144), Trevor Williams (157) and Thomas Davis (215), Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville’s Gustavo Benitez-Mendez (120), Ryan Singleton (150) and Kendall Taylor (165), Eisenhower’s Logan Esparza (113), Kelly’s Isaah Montes (132), Lindblom’s Erick Arroyo (175) and Northridge Prep’s Thomas Suter (285).
Additional sixth-place finishers were Eisenhower’s Santiago Daviila (132), Khalid Watson (157) and Marvelous Akhalu (190), Crete-Monee’s Aiden Roop (106) and Jordan Kirkpatrick (126), Little Village’s Ricardo Dominguez (113), Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Braylen Chavez-Rangel (120) and Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Marquel Wilson (175)
Buffalo Grove’s Sonny Tugs easily had the most total match points with 77 while Northridge Prep’s George McShane ranked second with 60 points. Agricultural Sciences’ Kingston Sawyer was the only individual in the tournament to record five falls.
Here are the champions and their weight classes from Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Knights Invitational:
106 – Jeremy Powell, Jr., Chicago Agricultural Sciences
Jeremy Powell, Jr. was one of three finalists and the lone champion for coach Ronald Wilson’s Cyclones after capturing the title at 106 at the Knights Invitational with a 10-7 decision over Naperville Central junior Dalton Meluch. The freshman, who competed for the Harvey Twisters, is dedicating his season to his father, Jeremy Powell, Sr., who is dealing with health issues.
Powell, Jr. opened with a win by fall before recording a pin in 3:46 over Buffalo Grove’s Stone McKone in the semifinals. He was the first of four straight freshmen that won titles and the only one of five CPS athletes who advanced to the finals to win a championship in the competition.
“I feel like this is a great opportunity for me,” Powell, Jr. said. “Since eighth grade, I’ve been thinking about going to this school, it’s not a well known school, so I just came here to make them known, put them on the map. Me and a couple of my guys have been working really hard. I’m doing this all for my dad. This season is dedicated to my dad since he’s fighting cancer.”
Meluch (18-10), one of 10 finalists for the coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks, followed a quick pin with a win by technical fall in 4:28 over Zion-Benton freshman Brayden Sroka in the semifinals. In the third-place match, McKone, a sophomore, won a 13-5 major decision over Sroka (17-7). And for fifth place, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy senior Keandre Beal (11-5) was a winner by fall in 1:28 over Crete-Monee sophomore Aiden Roop.
113 – Oleksandr Havrylkiv, Buffalo Grove
Oleksandr Havrylkiv is a recent arrival to the United States from Ukraine, thus he’s trying to improve his English so that he can say more things about his experiences as a Buffalo Grove freshman. After taking first at 113 for ninth and tenth grade boys at the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals in October, second at his own Rex Lewis Invite and first at Palatine’s Al Berman, it’s pretty clear that he just needs to let his wrestling do his talking for the time being.
Havrylkiv (16-1) was one of the three finalists and champions for coach George Beres’ Bison, who took second place in the Knights Invitational. He earned his second high school title with a win by fall in 3:49 over Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Elijah Sawyer in the 113 finals. He joined his freshman teammate and training partner Mykola Shamray and senior Bohdan Malaksianov as Bison champs. He only had to compete in one match to reach the title mat and in it he won by technical fall in 43 seconds over Naperville Central senior Jack Schwartz in the semifinals.
“They’re both just phenomenal kids,” Beres said of his two freshmen champions. “They’ve dedicated themselves in the offseason through Built by Brunson. And in the room, both of them are actually leaders for us. It’s different that you’d have freshmen as your leaders. But those two kids work their butt off and it’s nice that they’re so close in weight, so they actually are practice partners every single day. Sasha actually teched the number-six kid in the state last week at Palatine. Across the board, all of the kids have bought into what we’re trying to tell them to do. It’s just a great feeling to watch.”
Sawyer, a sophomore who was one of three finalists for coach Ronald Wilson’s Cyclones, went 30-5 last season and fell one victory shy of a trip to state from the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional. A champion at this invitational last season, he got a win by technical fall in his first match and then recorded a pin in 11 seconds over Westinghouse senior Jamari Starr in the semifinals. Schwartz (16-10) claimed third place with a win by fall in 1:24 over Starr (10-6). And for fifth place, Eisenhower freshman Logan Esparza (10-9) captured a 10-8 decision over Little Village senior Ricardo Dominguez (6-4).
120 – Mykola Shamray, Buffalo Grove
Mykola Shamray clearly demonstrated that Buffalo Grove potentially has a dangerous one-two punch at the lower weights after the freshman followed a title won by classmate and training partner Oleksandr Havrylkiv with one of his own at the Knights Invitational when he recorded a fall in 5:32 over Naperville Central junior Jake Moore in the 120 championship match to become one of three champions for coach George Beres’ Bison, who finished second in the competition.
Shamray (21-4) opened with a fall and then needed only 44 seconds to pin Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy senior Braylen Chavez-Rangel in the semifinals to earn his spot on the 120 title mat. After taking third at his school’s Rex Lewis Tourney and fourth at Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb, he recently won his first high school tournament at Palatine’s Al Berman Holiday Classic. He finished in a three-way tie for most team points with 28.
“They like each other and they’re very coachable, and that’s the biggest thing,” Beres said of his two freshmen champions. “Neither of them are thinking, ‘Oh, I’m this, this and this.’ They’re just able to just practice and learn to be better. Mykola placed second at state the last two years at IESA and I don’t think he’s ranked yet, but he’ll be on that board pretty soon. All of the credit goes to these kids. They’ve listened to what we’ve said as coaches and they’ve bought in, and I think that’s the biggest thing that I’m proud of them. We can only do so much as coaches but they’ve bought into everything that we’ve asked them to do.”
Moore (16-8), one of 10 finalists for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks, was a sectional qualifier last season who only had a 7-4 record but still fell just one victory shy of a trip to state from the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional. He opened with a win by technical fall before getting a pin in 2:51 in the semifinals over Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville sophomore Gustavo Benitez-Mendez. For third place, Chicago Agricultural Sciences junior Kingston Sawyer (5-1) got a pin in 2:31 over Little Village freshman Benito Chavez (11-6). And for fifth place, Benitez-Mendez (6-2) won by medical forfeit over Chavez-Rangel (9-5).
126 – Joe Kopecky, Northridge Prep
Joe Kopecky is understandably a big fan of Northridge Prep since his grandmother works there, he’s had two brothers who competed there and his uncle coaches h[m there. The freshman is hopeful that he can make a name for himself at the Niles school and after having a rough introduction at Rockford East and Glenbrook South, he’s feeling much better following titles at Walther Christian and Glenbard South and a first at 126 in the Knights Invitational, following in the footsteps of his brothers Michael and Steven, who were champions at the invite in 2023.
Kopecky (12-4) was one of two finalists and the first of two champions for coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights after he recorded a fall in 3:56 over Little Village junior Jovanni Harris in the finals to join senior teammate Adam Haddad at 165 as title winners. He followed a first-period fall with a pin in 5:53 over Naperville Central freshman James Ball in the semifinals to reach the title mat. He recorded 28 team points, which tied him for second place.
“My grandmother works there in the front office,” Kopecky said of Northridge Prep. “I had a couple of tough tournaments at Rockford (East) and Glenbrook South but I took first at Glenbard South and at Walther Christian. (Competing in high school) This is a lot tougher. Last year I wrestled IESA and took second at state for this school. I had two older brothers who qualified for state two years ago and I have a lot of family here and my uncle, Bill Kopecky, coaches me.”
Harris (14-5), the lone finalist for coach Michael Zagorski’s Phoenix, went 31-12 last season and fell a bit short of a state trip from the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional. A 2024 champion at the Knights Invite, he followed a win by technical fall with a pin in 40 seconds over Crete-Monee senior Jordan Kirkpatrick in the semifinals to earn his spot on the title mat. Ball (8-5) claimed third place by recording a fall in 3:47 over Buffalo Grove junior Anthoni Valladares and in the fifth-place match, Zion-Benton sophomore Said Vazquez got a pin in 0:39 over Kirkpatrick.
132 – Jacob Cochran, Naperville Central
Jacob Cochran got the ball rolling for Naperville Central in its quest for champions at the Knights Invitational as he became the first of seven first-place finishers for the Redhawks when the junior recorded a fall in 1:17 over Ridgewood junior Mohamad Khater in the 132 title match.
Cochran (23-5), one of 10 finalists for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s first-place Redhawks, got a bye into the semifinals, where he won with a pin in 1:06 over Eisenhower sophomore Santiago Daviilla to start a run where his team won seven of the last 10 titles. Also a finalist at Prospect, where he took second, he won 27 matches last season and qualified for the Hinsdale Central Sectional and helped his team reach the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2012.
Khater (13-7), who was the lone finalist for coach Jared McCabe’s Rebels, won 14 matches and fell one win shy of advancing to the sectional last season. He opened with a pin in the opening minute and then claimed a victory by technical fall in the semifinals over Buffalo Grove junior Anthony Laguna (4-4), who went on to claim third place with a fall over Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy junior Isaiah Poole (10-9). In the fifth-place match, Kelly sophomore Isaah Montes captured an 18-4 major decision over Davilla.
138 – Vince Bern, Naperville Central
Vince Bern became his team’s second of seven champs at the Knights Invitational after getting a fall in 5:59 over Zion-Benton’s Luis Medina in the 138 title match. The junior opened with two wins by technical fall, needing just 1:44 in the semifinals to win over Little Village junior Anthony Suarez to become one of the 10 finalists for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks.
Bern (19-4) won 20 matches last season and qualified for the Hinsdale Central Sectional while also helping his team earn its first trip to the IHSA Dual Team Finals in 12 years. He’d not only like to help them get back to state for the second year in a row, something the program’s never done, but also do what his brother Chris achieved in 2024 as a senior, which is qualifying individually for state. This was his second title of the season with the other one at Prospect.
“We took the offseason pretty personal,” Bern said. “We go into practice working hard every day and we have a really good bond as a team, I feel. One of the qualities that helps us a lot is the closeness of our team. How we can always bond together and just talk to each other about stuff. We can joke around at practice and then get serious, too.”
Medina (17-7), a senior who was one of five finalists who all took second place for coach Hal Lunsford’s third-place Zee-Bees, opened with two falls, with the second one coming in 3:43 in the semifinals over Kelly senior Cliffon Johnson. Last season, Medina went 17-9 and fell one win shy of advancing to state from the Class 3A Barrington Sectional and he also won a title at the Knights Invitational. For third place, Johnson (10-3) was a winner by technical fall in 2:55 over Suarez (11-6). In the fifth-place match, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy senior Isaiah Diaz (13-9) recorded a pin in 1:19 over Buffalo Grove freshman David Karapetyan.
144 – Bohdan Malaksianov, Buffalo Grove
Bohdan Malaksianov made it three-for-three for Buffalo Grove on the title mat at the Knights Invitational when he won by fall in 1:11 over Chicago Agricultural Sciences’ Maurice Bush in the 144 championship match. The senior along with freshmen Oleksandr Havrylkiv and Mykola Shamray won titles for coach George Beres’ Bison and helped their team finish in second place.
Malaksianov (18-6), a senior who won 16 matches last year and fell one win shy of advancing from the Class 3A Stevenson Regional, opened with two first-period falls, getting a pin in 1:30 over Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Jayden Veal in the semifinals to reach the title mat. This was his first title of the season and he also was a finalist at Palatine, where he placed second.
“I love wrestling, it’s my passion, something that I want to keep doing in my future,” Malaksianov said. “I’ve wrestled varsity for two years and I really appreciate the program that they have for us there, coach Beres, all of the coaches at BG, and I’m thankful for them and for what they’ve taught me. And I also used to train in judo for a while, so I did upper body throwing and tossing. Our two freshmen are really good, they’re amazing wrestlers and both have a really bright future ahead of them. I love Buffalo Grove High School, I love the wrestling program and I love my team. I like the consistency of practices and also staying as a team and supporting each other,”
Bush, a junior who was one of three finalists for coach Ronald Wilson’s Cyclones, won his first two matches by fall, getting a pin in 2:36 in the semifinals over Naperville Central junior Stavros Gerousis (18-12), who went on to claim third place with a fall in 3:07 over Kelly senior Awwal Ogunsolu (13-4). And in the fifth-place match, Veal (12-4), a freshman for the host Knights, captured a 15-2 major decision over Zion-Benton sophomore Davin Esparagoza.
150 – CJ Bierman, Naperville Central
CJ Bierman won 17 matches last season and got the opportunity to be a member of Naperville Central’s first IHSA Dual Team Finals team in 12 years but was not in the mix for the East Aurora Regional, where his team qualified all 14 of its individuals for the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional. So this season, the senior is hoping that he can conclude his Redhawks career not only on another state team but do so after competing in the individual state series.
Bierman (16-6) was one of 10 finalists and the third of seven champions for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s championship team at the Knights Invitational when he won by fall in 1:30 over Kelly junior Leovardo Juarez in the 150 title match. He advanced to the title mat with two decisions, claiming an 11-8 victory in his opener before getting a 12-7 win over Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Xavier Woods in the semifinals, handing the Knights senior his initial defeat.
“Last year I went into the room undecided about how good our team was and we just kept on improving,” Bierman said. “As a junior, I wrestled 126 and I saw our team grow from a team that was not supposed to be good. And this year, we’re just trying to keep the momentum, and I believe that we have. We had a lot of seniors leave from last year, but I believe we’re up and coming and we’re getting better every single day and we’re working hard at practice. (Coach Fitzenreider) He cracks down on us when we get a little goofy, but he’s an amazing coach. The goal is individual state and team state. You’ve got to think and aim big. I like our grit.”
Juarez (12-4), the lone finalist for coach Stephen Kunca’s Trojans, won 15 matches last season but fell a bit short of advancing from the Class 3A Downers Grove South Regional. After opening with a first-period fall, he earned his spot in the finals with a wild 14-13 decision over Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville senior Ryan Singleton in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Northridge Prep junior George McShane (11-5) won a 9-6 decision over Woods (20-2). And for fifth, Singleton (6-2) won by fall in 4:00 over Zion-Benton sophomore Ian Serkanic (9-9).
157 – Justin Skryd, Naperville Central
Justin Skryd got the great opportunity for a freshman to be on the state roster for Naperville Central as it advanced to the IHSA Dual Team Finals for the first time since 2012. After only getting in four matches on the varsity last season, the sophomore is beginning to make his mark after becoming one of seven champions and 10 finalists for the Redhawks at the Knights Invitational when he won by fall in 3:28 over Zion-Benton’s Demar Dixon in the 157 finals.
Skryd (8-5) not only turned in a team-high 29.5 team points for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks but that point total also was 1.5 points higher than anyone else in the competition. After opening with a first-minute fall, he got a win by technical fall in 3:10 and then recorded a pin in 2:36 over Buffalo Grove sophomore Khurshedov Jahongir in the semifinals.
“We’ve done really well,” Skryd said. “A lot of young guys have stepped up for the seniors who left last year. Last year, I was only wrestling on the varsity for a little bit and this year I’m wrestling a lot more and I’ve done a lot better. My teammates definitely make me a lot better just because of their experience and the skill that they have. I like the work ethic in practice and the resilience on the mat, we always fight to stay off our backs and we never give up. Our leaders are very strong on this team and they really lead us and help us to perform as hard as we can.”
Dixon (12-11), a senior who was one of five finalists and second-place finishers for coach Hal Lunsford’s third-place Zee-Bees, won 14 matches last season and fell a bit short of advancing from the Class 3A Libertyville Regional. He opened with a pin in 26 seconds and followed up on that with a 9-1 major decision over Little Village junior Felipe Juan Aguilar Urbina in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Jahongir won by fall in 4:42 over Aguilar Urbina (16-5) and for fifth place, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy senior Trevor Williams (13-10) captured a 14-8 decision over Eisenhower junior Khalid Watson (13-11).
165 – Adam Haddad, Northridge Prep
Adam Haddad suffered two defeats at Rockford East’s Giardini Invitational a month ago to drop to 4-2 after finishing fourth at 165. Since then, he’s been on a roll, capturing championships at Glenbrook South’s Rus Erb and Glenbard South in December and now the Northridge Prep senior has captured a third title, claiming the 165 championship at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy’s Knights Invitational with a win by technical fall in 5:25 over Naperville Central’s Nicolas Olvera to join freshman Joe Kopecky as a title winner for coach Joseph Rhee’s Knights.
Haddad (15-2) opened with a first-period fall and then earned his spot as one of his team’s two finalists when he claimed another win by technical fall, this one in 5:58, over Buffalo Grove senior Chris Chi in the semifinals. Last season, Haddad went 28-6 and qualified for the IHSA Finals. A three-time champion at the Knights Invite, he hopes to do something that no one has achieved yet, which is to become Northridge Prep’s first state medalist.
“In the offseason I just put in the work every single day,” Haddad said. “And working with intent every single day when I practice, I’m practicing for tournaments, I’m practicing for matches, I’m practicing for live wrestling and I’m practicing for the state tournament. (Northridge Prep) It’s just really high-level people, really all-around good Catholic people and we go to Mass pretty much every day. We’re all like a family, and it’s all-boys school, so there’s no distractions. As team captain, I’m trying to push all of these guys to their limits and get them to work as hard as I can.”
Olvera (17-9) followed a fall with a win by technical fall before becoming one of the 10 finalists for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s champion Redhawks when the sophomore won a 14-2 major decision in the semifinals over Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville senior Kendall Taylor. Last season, Olvera was able to be a member of the school’s first Dual Team state appearance since 2012. In the third-place match, Crete-Monee senior Jaylene Johnson (12-5) won an 11-4 decision over Chi (13-5). And for fifth place, Taylor (5-2) prevailed in a high-scoring 22-18 decision over Zion-Benton sophomore Anthony Malone (18-15).
175 – Henry Rydwelski, Naperville Central
Henry Rydwelski captured his third tournament championship of the season, adding to firsts at Marmion Academy and Prospect, when the senior won a 15-5 major decision over Zion-Benton senior Francisco Yilmaz in the 175 title match at the Knights Invitational to become one of the seven champions for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s Redhawks, who took top honors in the 14-team tournament by a 311.5-243 margin over runner-up Buffalo Grove.
Rydwelski (26-1), a senior who went 26-14 last season and fell a bit short of qualifying from the Hinsdale Central Sectional but closed on a high note by getting to compete in his team’s 36-29 loss to eventual runner-up Yorkville in the IHSA Class 3A Dual Team quarterfinals in their first visit to that competition since 2012. He opened with a fall and then captured a 19-11 major decision over Buffalo Grove junior Sonny Tugs to become one of the Redhawks’ 10 finalists.
“We’re doing great,” Rydwelski said. “We’re ready to get some more competition and we’re ready to beat these teams that are ranked highly. We think we’re better, we don’t care about rankings. I think we’re really the toughest team in the state. We can go out there and out-tough anybody. Even if we don’t win, we’ll be tougher than every other team. We pushed pretty well at the Flavin and I was proud of our performance there. And I definitely what we did at Prospect, we really put on a good showing.”
Yilmaz (12-7), who went 24-14 last season and competed in the Class 3A Barrington Sectional, was one of five second-place finishers for coach Hal Lunsford’s third-place Zee-Bees. A title winner in 2024 at the Knights Invitational, he advanced to the 175 title mat following two pins, needing 5:37 in his opener and just 1:12 in the semifinals to defeat Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville senior Caleb Gordon. Tugs (13-11), who took third place, had the most total match points with 77, which was 17 ahead of the next-best in that category. He got a win by technical fall in 4:16 over Gordon (5-2) in the third-place match. And for fifth, Lindblom senior Erick Arroyo (7-6) won by fall in 0:56 over Chicago Agricultural Sciences senior Marquel Wilson.
190 – Paul Peradotti, Naperville Central
Paul Peradotti went 17-0 last season as a sophomore and got the opportunity to be on the first Naperville Central team to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team Finals since 2012. He’s off to another good start this season after appearing in his second tournament finals and capturing his first championship by winning at 190 in the Knights Invitational to join six other teammates as title winners and help coach Noah Fitzenreider’s Redhawks claim top honors by 68.5 points.
Peradotti (20-2) secured the title with a 7-2 decision over Zion-Benton’s Tyson Poyer. He opened with a win by technical fall before earning his spot as one of the Redhawks’ 10 finalists with a fall in 4:00 over Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy senior Dylan Wilborn in the semifinals. He also advanced to the finals at Prospect’s Mudge-McMorrow Invite, where he placed second.
“I’m super excited,” Peradotti said. “Losing a couple of really good seniors from last year, it was like ‘okay, what is our team going to look like?’ And I feel like just a lot of people have stepped it up. In practice, you can’t go far without finding a good partner. My partner, Henry, and I go at it every day. We have so much fun. This whole group, we’re brothers. It’s so nice to see in a group of guys, especially for wrestlers, who are generally solitary, it’s definitely great to see. It’s really just my practice partner. Just getting to work with him, it’s iron sharpening iron. He makes me better and I make him better, and I feel like it’s that way throughout every weight.”
Poyer (24-7) was one of five members of coach Hal Lunsford’s Zee-Bees who claimed second-place finishes. He advanced to the 190 title mat with two pins, winning in 1:41 in the semifinals over Crete-Monee senior Kijuan Springfield (10-9), who went to claim third place with a pin in 3:45 over Wilborn (12-9). In the fifth-place match, Buffalo Grove junior Aleksander Krotosyznski (5-4) recorded a fall in 3:07 over Eisenhower senior Marvelous Akhalu.
215 – Malakai Scott, Crete-Monee
Malakai Scott is up several weight classes from where he was at last season when he competed at 165 in the state series and finished 23-8 after advancing to the Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional. The Crete-Monee senior hopes that he can advance a bit further this season and no doubt received a big boost to do just that following his title at 215 in the Knights Invitational that he secured with a fall in 2:44 over Eisenhower junior Rayshawn Doles.
Scott (12-4), one of three individuals to place third or better and the lone finalist for coach Jonathan Hernandez’s Warriors, he opened with a first-period fall and then was a winner by technical fall in 4:44 over Naperville Central senior Jayden Davis in the semifinals. He finished with 27.5 team points, which was the fifth-best total in the competition. A runner-up in the Knights Invite in 2024, Scott also reached the finals last month at Unity, where he took second.
“My coaches said that they really wanted me to win and that I should be able to get some competition with all of the kids today were very good,” Scott said. “I try hard in practice and I try to push my peers, so that they practice hard as well. And I show up to practice every day, that’s really one of the main points. From last year, I’ve just really been trying harder. I’ve been pushing myself to do my best and I want to win and make it down to state. I really like it, it’s a lot of fun (competing for the program). You meet a lot of good people, like teammates, and they’re all good, even the opponents. Everybody in wrestling is really nice.”
Doles (9-5) was the only finalist for coach Joe Ambrosino’s Cardinals. He advanced to the 215 title mat after recording two falls with the first in 5:47 and the second in 1:25 in the semifinals over Buffalo Grove junior Christiano Marogy, who went on to capture third place with a win by technical fall in 4:00 over Westinghouse senior Eric Magana (12-6). For fifth place, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy sophomore Thomas Davis (15-11) won by fall in 2:29 over Davis.
285 – William Erbeck, Naperville Central
William Erbeck capped a successful day for Naperville Central when he the senior won the 285 title at the Knights Invitational with a fall in 1:50 over Zion-Benton senior Isaiah Tellado to become one of seven champions for coach Noah Fitzenreider’s Redhawks, who scored 311.5 points to easily claim the team championship over Buffalo Grove, who finished with 243 points.
Erbeck (21-1), the lone returning state qualifier for Naperville Central, went 38-5 last season and got a pin to help his team grab an early 13-0 lead over Yorkville in last year’s IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Finals, which the Redhawks lost 36-29 to the eventual runner-up Foxes as they made an appearance at dual team state for the first time since 2012. Erbeck, whose only loss was a 5-3 decision to Round Lake’s William Cole in the 285 championship match at Prospect’s Mudge-McMorrow Invite, opened with a first-period fall and then got another one, in 0:52, over Lindblom senior Josue Olivo in the semifinals to become one of his team’s 10 finalists. He had 28 team points, which ranked him second with two others behind Justin Skryd’s 29.5 points.
“I like how we all have a competitive edge,” Erbeck said. “You see our guys and even though they’re down, they keep moving and trying to get into the next best position and even if you can’t win the match, you still want to finish on top. I’ve been practicing all offseason trying to get better and the goal is to win state and place at state, that’s the main goal for the season for me, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Tellado (20-8), who won 19 matches last season but was unable to advance from the Class 3A Libertyville Regional, was one of five finalists, who all placed second, for coach Hal Lunsford’s Zee-Bees, who wound up finishing third in the team standings. He opened with two falls, with his second one coming in 5:03 over Westinghouse sophomore Tyler Brooks in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Olivo (8-3) won by fall in 3:37 over Brooks (12-5). For fifth, Northridge Prep junior Thomas Suter (9-7) got a pin in 3:18 over Buffalo Grove junior Jenrry Aguirre.
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy Knights Invitational place matches
106
1st Place Match
Jeremy Powell (Chicago Agricultural Sciences) 3-0, Fr. over Dalton Meluch (Naperville Central) 18-10, Jr. (Dec 10-7)
3rd Place Match
Stone McKone (Buffalo Grove) 3-1, So. over Brayden Sroka (Zion-Benton) 17-7, Fr. (MD 13-5)
5th Place Match
Keandre Beal (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 11-5, Sr. over Aiden Roop (Crete-Monee) 3-7, So. (Fall 1:28)
113
1st Place Match
Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Buffalo Grove) 16-1, Fr. over Elijah Sawyer (Chicago Agricultural Sciences) 2-1, So. (Fall 3:49)
3rd Place Match
Jack Schwartz (Naperville Central) 16-10, Sr. over Jamari Starr (Westinghouse) 10-6, Sr. (Fall 1:24)
5th Place Match
Logan Esparza (Eisenhower) 10-9, Fr. over Ricardo Dominguez (Little Village) 6-4, Sr. (Dec 10-8)
120
1st Place Match
Mykola Shamray (Buffalo Grove) 21-4, Fr. over Jake Moore (Naperville Central) 16-8, Jr. (Fall 5:32)
3rd Place Match
Kingston Sawyer (Chicago Agricultural Sciences) 5-1, Jr. over Benito Chavez (Little Village) 11-6, Fr. (Fall 2:31)
5th Place Match
Gustavo Benitez-Mendez (Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville) 6-2, So. over Braylen Chavez-Rangel (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 9-5, Sr. (M. For.)
126
Guaranteed Places
1st Place Match
Joe Kopecky (Northridge Prep) 12-4, Fr. over Jovanni Harris (Little Village) 14-5, Jr. (Fall 3:56)
3rd Place Match
James Ball (Naperville Central) 8-5, Fr. over Anthoni Valladares (Buffalo Grove) 5-13, Jr. (Fall 3:47)
5th Place Match
Said Vazquez (Zion-Benton) 8-12, So. over Jordan Kirkpatrick (Crete-Monee) 4-8, Sr. (Fall 0:39)
132
1st Place Match
Jacob Cochran (Naperville Central) 23-5, Jr. over Mohamad Khater (Ridgewood) 13-7, Jr. (Fall 1:17)
3rd Place Match
Anthony Laguna (Buffalo Grove) 4-4, Jr. over Isaiah Poole (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 10-9, Jr. (Fall 0:00)
5th Place Match
Isaah Montes (Kelly) 7-9, So. over Santiago Daviilla (Eisenhower) 3-5, So. (MD 18-4)
138
1st Place Match
Vince Bern (Naperville Central) 19-4, Jr. over Luis Medina (Zion-Benton) 17-7, Sr. (Fall 5:59)
3rd Place Match
Cliffon Johnson (Kelly) 10-3, Sr. over Anthony Suarez (Little Village) 11-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:55 (17-2))
5th Place Match
Isaiah Diaz (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 13-9, Sr. over David Karapetyan (Buffalo Grove) 4-13, Fr. (Fall 1:19)
144
1st Place Match
Bohdan Malaksianov (Buffalo Grove) 18-6, Sr. over Maurice Bush (Chicago Agricultural Sciences) 2-1, Jr. (Fall 1:11)
3rd Place Match
Stavros Gerousis (Naperville Central) 18-12, Jr. over Awwal Ogunsolu (Kelly) 13-4, Sr. (Fall 3:07)
5th Place Match
Jayden Veal (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 12-4, Fr. over Davin Esparagoza (Zion-Benton) 10-15, So. (MD 15-2)
150
1st Place Match
Cj Bierman (Naperville Central) 16-6, Sr. over Leovardo Juarez (Kelly) 12-4, Jr. (Fall 1:30)
3rd Place Match
George McShane (Northridge Prep) 11-5, Jr. over Xavier Woods (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 20-2, Sr. (Dec 9-6)
5th Place Match
Ryan Singleton (Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville) 6-2, Sr. over Ian Serkanic (Zion-Benton) 9-9, So. (Fall 4:00)
157
1st Place Match
Justin Skryd (Naperville Central) 8-5, So. over Demar Dixon (Zion-Benton) 12-11, Sr. (Fall 3:28)
3rd Place Match
Khurshedov Jahongir (Buffalo Grove) 4-1, So. over Felipe Juan Aguilar Urbina (Little Village) 16-5, Jr. (Fall 4:42)
5th Place Match
Trevor Williams (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 13-10, Sr. over Khalid Watson (Eisenhower) 13-11, Jr. (Dec 14-8)
1st Place Match
Adam Haddad (Northridge Prep) 15-2, Sr. over Nicolas Olvera (Naperville Central) 17-9, So. (TF-1.5 5:25 (19-4))
3rd Place Match
Jaylene Johnson (Crete-Monee) 12-5, Sr. over Chris Chi (Buffalo Grove) 13-5, Sr. (Dec 11-4)
5th Place Match
Kendall Taylor (Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville) 5-2, Sr. over Anthony Malone (Zion-Benton) 18-15, So. (Dec 22-18)
175
1st Place Match
Henry Rydwelski (Naperville Central) 26-1, Sr. over Francisco Yilmaz (Zion-Benton) 12-7, Sr. (MD 15-5)
3rd Place Match
Sonny Tugs (Buffalo Grove) 13-11, Jr. over Caleb Gordon (Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville) 5-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:16 (20-5))
5th Place Match
Erick Arroyo (Lindblom) 7-6, Sr. over Marquel Wilson (Chicago Agricultural Sciences) 3-3, Sr. (Fall 0:56)
190
1st Place Match
Paul Peradotti (Naperville Central) 20-2, Jr. over Tyson Poyer (Zion-Benton) 24-7, Sr. (Dec 7-2)
3rd Place Match
Kijuan Springfield (Crete-Monee) 10-9, Sr. over Dylan Wilborn (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 12-9, Sr. (Fall 3:45)
5th Place Match
Aleksander Krotosyznski (Buffalo Grove) 5-4, Jr. over Marvelous Akhalu (Eisenhower) 8-11, Sr. (Fall 3:07)
215
1st Place Match
Malakai Scott (Crete-Monee) 12-4, Sr. over Rayshawn Doles (Eisenhower) 9-5, Jr. (Fall 2:44)
3rd Place Match
Christiano Marogy (Buffalo Grove) 9-13, Jr. over Eric Magana (Westinghouse) 12-6, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:00 (19-4))
5th Place Match
Thomas Davis (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy) 15-11, So. over Jayden Davis (Naperville Central) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 2:29)
285
1st Place Match
William Erbeck (Naperville Central) 21-1, Sr. over Isaiah Tellado (Zion-Benton) 20-8, Sr. (Fall 1:50)
3rd Place Match
Josue Olivo (Lindblom) 8-3, Sr. over Tyler Brooks (Westinghouse) 12-5, So. (Fall 3:37)
5th Place Match
Jenrry Aguirre (Buffalo Grove) 3-2, Jr. over Thomas Suter (Northridge Prep) 8-8, Jr. (Fall 3:18)
Team scores
1. Naperville Central 311.5, 2. Buffalo Grove 247, 3. Zion-Benton 161, 4. Chicago Agricultural Sciences 110, 4. Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy 110, 6. Crete-Monee 98, 7. Northridge Prep 96, 8. Little Village 76, 9. Kelly 72.5, 10. Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville 61.5, 11. Eisenhower 51, 12. Lindblom 46.5, 13. Westinghouse 44, 14. Ridgewood 23.5.