North Central Tournament round up for Dec. 17
By Curt Herron
Oregon gets past hosts at Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament
In a clash of two highly-regarded Class 1A teams that went down to the wire, Oregon edged Stillman Valley 179-172 to capture the championship of the Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament.
Kaneland took third place with 128 points while Princeton (118), Wheaton Academy (116), Dundee-Crown (115.5) and Marengo (78) were next-best in the 14-team competition.
Leading the way for coach Justin Lahman’s champion Hawks were title winners Lane Halverson (138), Anthony Bauer (160) and Evan Flaharty (285) while Grant Stender (152) and Gabe Eckerd (170) both took second. Claiming third place were Seth Stevens (145) and Landyn Windham (182) and finishing in fourth place was Jonathon Alaniz (220). Owen Wynn (106), Jackson Messenger (113) and Quentin Berry (195) all took fifth.
“It took the entire team from 106-285 to come back and win the tournament,” Lahman said. “We lost some matches early on that we would have liked to win but those guys battled back to earn bonus points on the backside. We had individual champions in Lane Halverson, Anthony Bauer and Evan Flaharty. Our other guys wrestled well and found where they stand against some good competition. We were tied at 150 team points with Stillman Valley going into the final round.
“The coaching staff pulled the team together and talked about how every person was going to have to wrestle hard for six minutes to finish the job. We had our first match at 113 with Jackson Messenger losing 14-1 before coming back and pinning his opponent in the last minute of the match. That gave the rest of the team the spark they needed to make a push for the title.
“As the final round went on, it was back and forth between us and Stillman trading wins and bonus points. At 285, Evan Flaharty was wrestling Blake Mollet from Stillman with not only an individual championship on the line but also the team title. We talked with Evan about staying focused and just wrestling for six minutes and that the outcome would be what he wanted. It took him just 0:15 to secure the fall. It was a great way to finish the day. To have this senior group leading the way after the hardest four years of high school, with COVID and all of the restrictions, is a great thing to be a part of.”
Pacing coach Jamie McCarty’s runner-up and host Cardinals were champions Jack Seacrist (170) and Andrew Forcier (182), Taking second were Mack Jones (113), Aiden Livingston (145) and Blake Mollet (285) while Michael Pannerale (106) and Porter Needs (152) placed third.
Top performers for coach Kenny Paoli’s third-place Knights were champion Kamron Scholl (120) and runners-up Max Pietak (195) and Nate Diaz (220). Caden Grabowski (132) took third while
Alex Gochis (126), Kyle Rogers (138), Christian Duffing (152), Nolan Hosking (182) and Jacob Nonnemacher (285) all finished fourth.
Coach Steve Amy’s Princeton Tigers had three champions, Augustus Swanson (106), Ace Christiansen (132) and Augie Christiansen (145).
Champions for coach Steve Aiello’s Wheaton Academy Warriors were Will Hupke (126) and Taggert Kazmierczak (152) and winning titles for coach Tim Hayes’ Dundee-Crown Chargers were Alec Rice (113) and Porter Leith (195). The other champion in the tournament was Marengo’s Hunter Smith (220).
Coach Brandon Wolak’s Lisle Lions had a pair of runners-up, Ryan Hsu (106) and Alexander Ferari (120). Others who finished in second place were Somonauk/Leland’s Aiden Rowan (126), Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/LaMoille/Ohio’s Levi Near (132), Princeton’s Carlos Benavidez (138), Winnebego’s Lucas Cowman (160) and Genoa-Kingston’s Julian Torres (182).
In a sign of just how competitive the title matches were, nine of the 14 were decisions.
Leading the way with the most team points was Hupke (126) with 26. Six individuals finished with 24 team points, Bauer (160), Flaharty (285), Forcier (182), Halverson (138), Rice (113) and Seacrist (170). Leith (195) had 23.5 team points while finishing with 22 team points were Augie Christiansen (145), Kazmierczak (152), Scholl (120), Smith (220) and Swanson (106).
Also finishing in third place were Marengo’s Logan Miller (138) and Eddie Solis (195), Dundee-Crown’s Jose Gavina (160) and Teigen Moreno (220), Amboy/A-FC/L/O’s Landon Blanton (113), Wheaton Academy’s Lincoln Hoger (120), Johnsburg’s Jacob Calhoun (126), Winnebago’s Charley Murray (170) and Princeton’s Cade Odell (285).
Others who finished in fourth place were Dundee-Crown’s Aiden Healey (106), Wheaton Academy’s Oscar Smith (113), Winnebago’s Chase Whitehead (120), Johnsburg’s Landon Johnson (132), Genoa-Kingston’s Nathan Dutton (145), Amboy/A-FC/L/O’s Lucas Blanton (160), Princeton’s Carson Etheridge (170) and Lisle’s Joe Raineri (195).
Stillman Valley Holiday Tournament champions and first-place matches:
106: Augustus Swanson (Princeton) D 8-2 Ryan Hsu (Lisle)
113: Alec Rice (Dundee-Crown) F 3:36 Mack Jones (Stillman Valley)
120: Kamron Scholl (Kaneland) D 6-3 Alexander Ferari (Lisle)
126: WIll Hupke (Wheaton Academy) F 3:28 Aiden Rowan (Somonauk/Leland)
132: Ace Christiansen (Princeton) MD 12-1 Levi Near (Amboy/Ashton-Franklin Center/L/O)
138: Lane Halverson (Oregon) F 1:26 Carlos Benavidez (Princeton)
145: Augie Christiansen (Princeton) D 3-1 Aiden Livingston (Stillman Valley)
152: Taggert Kazmierczak (Wheaton Academy) D 7-2 Grant Stender (Oregon)
160: Anthony Bauer (Oregon) D 15-12 Lucas Cowman (Winnebago)
170: Jack Seacrist (Stillman Valley) D 6-2 Gabe Eckerd (Oregon)
182: Andrew Forcier (Stillman Valley) D 6-4 Julian Torres (Genoa (Genoa-Kingston)
195: Porter Leith (Dundee-Crown) D 9-2 Max Pietak (Kaneland)
220: Hunter Smith (Marengo) D 8-4 Nate Diaz (Kaneland)
285: Evan Flaharty (Oregon) F 0:15 Blake Mollet (Stillman Valley)
Lena-Winslow/Stockton rolls to Erie/Prophetstown Tournament title
Lena-Winslow/Stockton advanced seven individuals to the title mat and won three championships to lead it to score 240 points, which easily gave it the championship of the 15-team event in Erie.
Illini Bluffs took second with 146 points while Fulton edged Orion 135-130 for third place. Rockridge (115), Rock Falls (100.5), Newman Central Catholic (89), Mercer County (88), Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville (87.5), Morrison (82), Erie/Prophetstown (76) and East Peoria (71) were next in line.
Winning titles for coach Kevin Milder’s champions were Jared Dvorak (160), Griffin Luke (195) and Mike Haas (220) while Garrett Luke (152), Jeremiah Luke (170), Jace Phillips (182) and Henry Engel (285) all placed second. Taking third were Drew Presson (132) and Eli Larson (170) while Mauricio Glass (126) was fourth, Carson McPeek (138), Oliver McPeek (160), Tanner Kempel (220) and Brady Aurand (285) were fifth and Jack Mensendike (145) took sixth.
Leading the way for coach Shawn O’Connor’s runner-up Tigers were champions Ian O’Connor 132) and Paul Ishikawa (145) and second-place finisher Hunter Robbins (113). Taking third place were Jacob Strube (106) and Jackson Carroll (138) while Wyatt Knowles (113), Avery Speck (120) and Braiden Salter (195) all finished fifth.
Top performers for coach Chris Grant’s third-place Steamers were champion Zane Pannell (182) and runners-up Broden Venhuizen (132) and Ben Fosdick (145). Placing fourth were Mason Kuebel (170) and Braiden Damhoff (285) while Justin Heck (106) and Skylier Crooks (152) both took fifth place.
Mercer County also had two champions, Ethan Monson (120) and Bodie Salmon (170). Also winning titles were West Carroll’s Connor Knop (106), Polo/F/E/M’s Josiah Perez (113), Rockridge’s Jude Finch (126), Newman Central Catholic’s Carter Rude (138), Erie/Prophetstown’s Jase Grunder (152) and East Peoria’s Jose Del Toro (285).
Rude recorded a fall in 1:32 over Rockridge’s Reese Finch in the 138 title match to win the OWA for the lower weights while Grunder was the recipient of that award for the upper weights after beating Lena-Winslow/Stockton’s Garrett Luke, the defending 1A champion at 145, with a 3-2 decision in the 152 finals.
Rockridge had three second-place finishers, Reese Finch (138), Ryan Lower (160) and Vaughn Frere (220). Others who finished second were Rock Falls’ Josiah Tarbill (106), Orion’s Luke Moen (120), Erie/Prophetstown’s Wyatt Goossens (126) and Sherrard’s Walker Anderson (195).
Orion had four individuals who finished third, Kaleb Sovey (113), Mason Anderson (145), Aiden Fisher (182) and Maddux Anderson (195). Others who took third place were Rock Falls’ Aaron Meenen (120) and Jacob Hosler (285), Morrison’s Brady Anderson (152) and Logan Baker (160), Polo/F/E/M’s Lucas Nelson (126) and Peoria Heights’ Isaac Coleman (220).
Also finishing fourth were Newman Central Catholic’s Zyhler Hansen (113) and Briar Ivey (120), Morrison’s Zach Milder (132) and Camden Pruis (138) and Mercer County’s Zeke Arnold (145) and Eli Burns (152).
Additional fourth-place finishers were Orion’s Jordan Marshall (106), East Peoria’s Tom Flowers (160), Erie/Prophetstown’s Luke Otten (182), Polo/F/E/M’s Maddux Hayden (195) and Rockridge’s Kamden Weinert (220).
Other fifth-place finishers were Newman Central Catholic’s Collin Messer (132) and Daniel Kelly (145), West Carroll’s Noah Rannow (126), Rockridge’s Tyler Morrisey (170) and East Peoria’s Kaden Rowland (182).
Erie/Prophetstown Holiday Tournament champions and first-place matches:
106: Connor Knop (West Carroll) D 6-1 Josiah Tarbill (Rock Falls)
113: Josiah Perez (Polo/Forreston/Eastland/Milledgeville) F 5:12 Hunter Robbins (Illini Bluffs)
120: Ethan Monson (Mercer County) MD 15-5 Luke Moen (Orion)
126: Jude Finch (Rockridge) MD 12-3 Wyatt Goossens (Erie/Prophetstown)
132: Ian O’Connor (Illini Bluffs) MD 13-0 Broden Venhuizen (Fulton)
138: Carter Rude (Newman Central Catholic) F 1:32 Reese Finch (Rockridge)
145: Paul Ishikawa (Illini Bluffs) D 10-4 Ben Fosdick (Fulton)
152: Jase Grunder (Erie/Prophetstown) D 3-2 Garrett Luke (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)
160: Jared Dvorak (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) MD 14-2 Ryan Lower (Rockridge)
170: Bodie Salmon (Mercer County) F 1:13 Jeremiah Luke (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)
182: Zane Pannell (Fulton) F 2:22 Jace Phillips (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)
195: Griffin Luke (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 1:50 Walker Anderson (Sherrard)
220: Mike Haas (Lena-Winslow/Stockton) F 2:53 Vaughn Frere (Rockridge)
285: Jose Del Toro (East Peoria) F 1:23 Henry Engel (Lena-Winslow/Stockton)
LeRoy/Tri-Valley edges Galesburg for Metamora Holiday Classic title
On a day where there were numerous close battles for tournament titles, perhaps none was as tight as the Metamora Holiday Classic.
That’s where LeRoy/Tri-Valley claimed top honors in the 12-team competition by a 129-128.5 margin over Galesburg. Peoria High beat out Richwoods 93-74.5 for third place while Peoria Notre Dame (65.5) and Pontiac (63) were next in the line in the tournament.
Top performers for coach Brady Sant Amour’s first-place Panthers in bracket competition were champion Jacob Bischoff (220) and runners-up Colton Prosser (132) and Tate Sigler (285). Jack Green (145) took third and Bo Zeleznik (152) was fourth. Kobe Brent (113) went 3-0, Brady Mouser (106) was 4-1 and Brock Owens (126) went 3-2 in round robins.
Leading the way for coach Greg Leibach’s second-place Silver Streaks in bracket competition were champions Rocky Almendarez (132), Isaac Admire (138) and Michael Patrick (160), runner-up Don Patrick (138), third-place finisher Dishon Nolen (220) and fourth-place finisher Emilio Torres (170). In round robins, Gauge Shipp (126) went 5-0 and Nick Makwala (182) went 4-1.
Champions for coach Montell Burton’s third-place Lions in bracket competition were Kenny Rutherford (152) and Lucas Armstrong (285) while Tuison Connor (160) took fourth. In round robins, Malachai Washington (195) went 4-1.
Others who took first place in bracket competition (132-170 and 220-285) were Morris’ Tyler Semlar (145) and Byron’s James Cone (170). Also placing second in bracket competition were Eureka’s Dillon Wiles (160) and Landon Wierenga (220), Notre Dame’s Chase Daugherty (145), Richwoods’ Jayden Putts (152) and The High School of St. Thomas More’s August Christhilf (170).
Also finishing in third place in bracket competition were Pontiac’s Ethan Gray (152), Dylan Ramsey (160) and Tyson Cramer (285), Richwoods’ Rikyis Doss (132) and Gabriel Martinez (170) and Metamora’s Carter Atherton (138).
Additional fourth-place finishers in bracket competition were Notre Dame’s Sean Ryan (132) and Mike McLaughlin (285), Richwoods’ Christopher Harris (138), Kankakee’s Caleb Dickens (145) and Morris’ Michael Xolio (220).
Going 5-0 in round robins were Notre Dame’s Ian Akers (106), Morris’ Carter Skoff (120), Galesburg’s Gauge Shipp (126) and Byron’s Kyle Jones (182).
Posting 4-1 records in round robins were LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Brady Mouser (106), Byron’s Jackson Norris (120), Metamora’s Connor Graham (126), Galesburg’s Nick Makwala (182), Peoria High’s Malachi Washington (195) and The High School of St. Thomas More’s Brody Cuppernell (195).
Turning in 3-2 marks in round robins were Pontiac’s Aidan Scholwin (106) and Carlito Latin (182), Notre Dame’s Eddie Couri (120), LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Brock Owens (126) and Kankakee’s Micheal Barrnerman (195).
And going 2-3 in round robins were Richwoods’ Gabe Robb (120) and Bernard Cox (126), Galesburg’s Josh Larkin (106), Morris’ AJ Franzetti (182) and Pontiac’s Hunter Melvin (195).
At 113, there were four competitors with LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s Kobe Brent going 3-0, Richwoods’ Colton Boyer went 2-1 and Pontiac’s DrayDen Ramsey was 1-2.
Metamora Holiday Classic champions and first-place matches:
106: Ian Akers (Peoria Notre Dame) MD 11-1 Brady Mouser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) – RR
113: Kobe Brent (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) D 9-5 Colton Boyer (Richwoods) – RR
120: Carter Skoff (Morris) D Jackson Norris (Byron) – RR
126: Gauge Shipp (Galesburg) TF Connor Graham (Metamora) – RR
132: Rocky Almendarez (Galesburg) MD 12-0 Colton Prosser (LeRoy/Tri-Valley)
138: Isaac Admire (Galesburg) F Don Patrick (Galesburg)
145: Tyler Semlar (Morris) D 6-2 Chase Daugherty (Peoria Notre Dame)
152: Kenny Rutherford (Peoria High) D 10-4 Jayden Putts (Richwoods)
160: Michael Patrick (Galesburg) F Dillon Wiles (Eureka)
170: James Cone (Byron) F 3:08 August Christhilf (HS of Saint Thomas More)
182: Kyle Jones (Byron) F 3:55 Nick Makwala (Galesburg) – RR
195: Brody Cuppernell (HS of Saint Thomas More) D 11-9 Malachi Washington (Peoria High) – RR
220: Jacob Bischoff (LeRoy/Tri-Valley) F 4:48 Landon Wierenga (Eureka)
285: Lucas Armstrong (Peoria High) F Tate Sigler (LeRoy/Tri-Valley)