Tournament recaps for Mahomet-Seymour’s boys and girls, Urbana boys

By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA

Normal Community boys take Marty Williams Invite crown

Marty Williams won an Illinois state title in 1974 at 145 pounds, then wrestled at the University of Illinois under coach Tom Porter. But it was what Williams did in eight years as head coach of Mahomet-Seymour that got a tournament named after him.

From 1982-89, Williams’ teams at Mahomet-Seymour went 191-4 and were IHSA state champions five times — a meteoric run of success by any standards.

Normal Community found success at this year’s 17-team Marty Williams Invitational, topping the field with 418.5 points.

“We were glad Mahomet was still on with all the snow and cancellations around the state,” Community coach Trevor Kaufman said. “We enjoy their tournament and they run a good one.”

A dogfight for second place saw Normal Community West, (358.5), Mattoon (354.5) and host Mahomet-Seymour (354) round out the top four team finishes. Ft. Zumwalt North (326.5) of Missouri finished fifth.

1st place: Normal Community (418.5)

The Ironmen got individual titles from Jackson Soney (35-1 at 106), Cole Gentsch (31-3 at 120) and Cooper Caraway (35-2 at 215), a second from Carter Mayes (29-9 at 138), and a fourth from Hunter Hardwick (14-7 at 150).

Among wrestlers scoring team points, Kaufman also got sixth-place finishes from Johnny Thomas (113), Gavin Capodice (144), and Jaren Frankowiak (157), sevenths from Ethan Cavallo (126), and Victor Reyes (165), an eighth from Luke Eganhouse (132), and ninths from Cole Kretsinger (175) and Mason Caraway (190).

“We had another great overall effort from all our guys across the board and we’re happy with how we performed,” Kaufman said. “Besides our three champs, Carter Mayes had a big win over a returning 2A placer in the semis and has really come on strong at the end of the year.”

Mayes won a 5-3 semifinal decision over Mattoon’s Ben Capitosti, who placed sixth in Illinois at 138 last year.

Individual champs Soney, Gentsch, and Caraway now have a mere five losses between them. 

“Our three champs had dominating wins in the finals and continue to impress throughout the season,” Kaufman said. “We have a great group of kids and we’re excited for the upcoming state series.”

2nd place: Normal West (358.5)

Coach Dave Lehr’s Wildcats got an individual title from Evan Willock (157) and second-place finishes from Dylan McGrew (113), Abram Rader (120), Jaxxon Long (126), and Matt Hanold (285).

Normal West also got a third from Gus Schreiber (175), a fourth from Jacob Payne (106), a fifth from Logan Alvarez (144), and a sixth from Mason Wood (132).

3rd place: Mattoon (354.5)

The Greenwave got a title from unbeaten Korbin Bateman (30-0 at 144) and a second from Aidan Blackburn (30-4 at 150) for coach Brett Porter, to lead Mattoon to a third-place team finish.

Mattoon also got thirds from Tristan Porter (120) and Ben Capitosti (138), a fourth from Ean Freeman (165), fifths from Miles Clapp (157) and JD Sullivan (285), sixths from Vincent Gibson(126) and Mitchell Clapp (215)

Other individual champions at Mahomet-Seymour were Champaign Central’s Talin Baker (113), Belleville West’s Tyson Seibel (126), Richland County’s Carson Bissey (132), Champaign Centennial’s Trevor Schoonover (138) and Jack Barnhart (285), Ft. Zumwalt North, Missouri’s Cole Aguirre (150) and Deacon Moran (190), Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell (165), and Hoopeston Area’s Angel Zamora (175).

Second-place winners also included Glenwood’s Tyler Clarke (106), Carbondale’s Isaac Smith (132) and Thomas Imboden (165), Champaign Centennial’s Nehemie Mbangi (144), Mattoon’s Aidan Blackburn (150), Ft. Zumwalt North’s Logan Bizzle (157), Mt. Zion’s Vincent Fiore (175), and Glenwood’s Max Wiezorek (190) and Cody Moss (215).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 3:11 by Champaign Centennial’s Jack Barnhart

Most tech falls, least time – 2 in 5:52 by Normal West’s Evan Willock

Most pins/tech falls, least time – 5 in 7:56 by Normal West’s Evan Willock

Fastest fall – 0:15 by Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell

Fastest tech fall – 2:00 by Normal West’s Abram Rader

Most team points – 51.5 by Lincoln’s Dawson McConnell

Most single-match points – 23 by Mt. Zion’s Jordan Weter

Most total match points – 58 by Belleville West’s Tyson Seibel

Marty Williams Invitational championship match results:

106 – Jackson Soney (Normal Community) MD 9-0 Tyler Clarke (Glenwood)

113 – Talin Baker (Champaign Central) D 7-0 Dylan McGrew (Normal West)

120 – Cole Gentsch (Normal Community) F 0:40 Abram Rader (Normal West)

126 – Tyson Seibel (Belleville W) D 7-1 Jaxxon Long (Normal West)

132 – Carson Bissey (Richland County) D 6-0 Isaac Smith (Carbondale)

138 – Trevor Schoonover (Champaign Centennial) D 5-0 Carter Mayes (Normal Community)

144 – Korbin Bateman (Mattoon) F 1:00 Nehemie Mbangi (Champaign Centennial)

150 – Cole Aguirre (Ft. Zumwalt N) D 6-5 Aidan Blackburn (Mattoon)

157 – Evan Willock (Normal West) TF 2:42 Logan Bizzle (Ft. Zumwalt N)

165 – Dawson McConnell (Lincoln) TF 5:28 Thomas Imboden (Carbondale)

175 – Angel Zamora (Hoopeston) D 4-2 Vincent Fiore (Mt. Zion)

190 – Deacon Moran (Ft. Zumwalt N) D 9-2 Maximus Wiezorek (Glenwood)

215 – Cooper Caraway (Normal Community) F 1:42 Cody Moss (Glenwood)

285 – Jack Barnhart (Champaign Centennial) F 1:10 Matt Hanold (Normal West)

Third-place results:

106 – Charlie Flores (Hoopeston) F 0:44 Jacob Payne (Normal West)

113 – Patrick Provost (Ft. Zumwalt N) F 4:52 Nathan Martinez (St. Laurence)

120 – Tristan Porter (Mattoon) D 10-7 Colton McClure (Mahomet-Seymour)

126 – Justus Vrona (Mahomet-Seymour) MD 9-0 Carsten Burkemper (Ft. Zumwalt N)

132 – Xander Goodwin (Belleville W) D 4-0 Corey Bell (Mahomet-Seymour)

138 – Ben Capitosti (Mattoon) D 4-3 Aiden Colbert (Belleville W)

144 – Grady Neil (Metamora) D 6-0 Kaleb Collins (Mahomet-Seymour)

150 – DeAndre Hughey (Mahomet-Seymour) F 3:05 Hunter Hardwick (Normal Community)

157 – Gage Decker (Mahomet-Seymour) TF 5:28 Jaydon Fisher (Metamora)

165 – Kaden Becker (Mt. Zion) D 7-1 Ean Freeman (Mattoon)

175 – Gus Schreiber (Normal West) D 7-5 Justin Hay (Glenwood)

190 – Brock VanDeveer (Mahomet-Seymour) fft. Ethan Hofmeister (Belleville W)

215 – Shamonte Matthews (Belleville W) F 1:42 Justin Riley (Belleville W)

285 – Kenwyn Home (Belleville W) F 2:35 Ty Dykes (Metamora)

Final team scores: 1. Normal Community (418.5) 2. Normal West (358.5) 3. Mattoon (354.5) 4. Mahomet-Seymour (354) 5. Ft. Zumwalt North, MO (326.5) 6. Glenwood (315) 7. Belleville West (307) 8. Mt. Zion (258.5) 9. Metamora (250.5) 10. Lincoln (226) 11. Champaign Centennial (223.5) 12. St. Laurence (215) 13. Champaign Central (210.5) 14. Richland County (174) 15. Carbondale (169) 16. Hoopeston (168.5 17. Taylorville (37.5)

Marty Williams Girls Invitational

Glance at the Illinois girls state rankings at 100 pounds, and the first freshman you’ll see ranked comes in at No. 8 per the current Illinois Matmen rankings list.

That freshman is Glenwood’s Kadi Wilbern, whom Titans coach Jerod Bruner calls “one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in the state.”

Bruner brought four girls to this year’s Marty Williams Invite, and Wilbern was one of three individual champions for the Titans, along with Izzy Resendez (125) and Jenna Tuxhorn (140). Add an additional third-place finish from Elsie Dozier (155) and Glenwood had enough to top the 11-team field in Mahomet.

Glenwood edged second-place host Mahomet-Seymour 67-52 for the team title. Clinton (28), Metamora (27) and Mattoon (26) rounded out the top five teams. Normal West (25), Mt. Zion (18), Champaign Central (14), Normal Community (14), Champaign Centennial (12) and Rochester (12) completed the tournament roster.

No team present entered more than five wrestlers in competition, and only seven weight classes were wrestled.

1st place: Glenwood (67)

The four girls from Glenwood made it count, with their three top-three finishes and three champions.

“It’s really neat to see how far our girl’s program has come in just a few years,” Bruner said. “I think in part it’s a carry over from when Maya Davis was dominating the girls wrestling scene. Now we have multiple girls in the program who just expect to be the best.”

Davis won an Illinois state title at 115 in 2022 for Glenwood, in the inaugural IHSA girls state tournament. Davis now wrestles for Grand View University in Iowa.

In a round-robin format for every weight, Wilbern (21-4) pinned her first three opponents, each in under a minute, before winning by fall over Normal West’s Cheyenna Anderson in the second period to secure the title at 110 pounds.

Resendez (9-3) won 5-1 over Clinton’s Joi Lord to earn the top prize at 125, and Tuxhorn (15-1) fall against Champaign Central’s Londyn Grant got her the title at 140. Third-placer Dozier (5-4) won by fall over fourth-place Brooklyn Fuller of Mattoon.

Wilbern, Resendez, and Dozier are all freshmen, and Tuxhorn is only a sophomore.

“(Tuxhorn) has only been wrestling a short time and improves every match. She is definitely ready to make a name for herself throughout the state,” Bruner said. “Izzy just came into our program this year and got her first ever title after wrestling for Rochester for a number of years. We are just going to continue to see her growth along with first year Elsie Dozier.  Elsie continues to improve and win big matches along the way. “

2nd place: Mahomet-Seymour

Bulldogs coach Jeff Castor got a pair of titles from Isabelle Leyhe (16-2 at 120) and Grace Ribbe (17-4 at 90), thirds from Lily Daniels (120) and Jaycee Fancher (15-6 at 125), and a fourth from Kalista Granadino (15-6 at 115).

3rd place: Clinton (28)

The Lady Maroons got a second-place finish from Joi Lord (14-7 at 125), a third from Ariana Hunes (115), and a fourth from Sandra Clark (110) for coach Matt Cooper. 

Also winning individual titles in Mahomet were Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon (115) and Metamora’s Paytyn Dykes (155). Cannon placed third in Illinois at 110 last year.

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 4:28 by Mt. Zion’s Sydney Cannon

Fastest fall – 0:12 by Normal Community West’s Amelia McClure

Most team points – 22 by Glenwood’s Izzy Resendez

Most single-match points – 20 by Normal Community West’s Cheyenna Anderson 

Most total match points – Champaign Centennial’s Ava Beldo 

Mahomet-Seymour championship match results:

110 – Kadi Wilbern (Glenwood) F 3:06 Carly Ho (Rochester)

115 – Sydney Cannon (Mt. Zion) F 0:44 Ava Beldo (Champaign Centennial)

120 – Isabelle Leyhe (Mahomet-Seymour) MD 10-2 Trey Fletcher (Normal Community)

125 – Izzy Resendez (Glenwood) D 5-1 Joi Lord (Clinton)

140 – Jenna Tuxhorn (Glenwood) F 3:11 Londyn Grant (Champaign Central)

155 – Paytyn Dykes (Metamora) F 3:05 Logan Crist (Mattoon)

190 – Grace Ribbe (Mahomet-Seymour) F 1:03 Alexis Clouthier-Mattocks (Normal West)

Final team scores: 1. Glenwood (67) 2. Mahomet-Seymour (52) 3. Clinton (28) 4. Metamora (27) 5. Mattoon (26) 6. Normal Community West (25) 7. Mt. Zion (18) 8. Champaign Central (14) 8. Normal Community (14) 10. Champaign Centennial (12) 10. Rochester (12)

Urbana Wrestling Invitational

Danville won the 10-team Urbana Invite on the strength of four individual champions, one runner-up, and 12 wrestlers placing in the top six of their weight classes for coach Marcus Forrest.

The Vikings won 187.5-149.5 over second-place Rochester. University (141) finished third, followed by East Alton-Wood River (101) and Effingham (92.5) to round out the top five team finishes. Host Urbana (88.5) was sixth, followed by Heyworth (86), Charleston (84), Williamsville (68) and Lanphier (42.5).

1st place: Danville (187.5)

The Vikings got individual titles from Josiah Williams (138), Marquan Shaw (150), Tristan Poplous (157) and Phillip Shaw IV (175), plus a second-place finish from Ty Rangel (132).

Phoenix Parker (190) placed third, Kendrick Pittman (126) and Kamarion Miles (285) finished fourth, Tyjuan Reed (215) placed fifth, and the Vikings got sixths from Gavin Rule (120), Sir Timothy White (126), and Elijah Jefferson (144).

2nd place: Rochester (149.5)

Coach Brad Alewelt got a pair of titles from Pierce Bultmann (106) and Connor Broughton (190), seconds from Conner Carroll (120) and Drake Pfeiffer (144), and thirds from Miles Carroll (120), Nick Mrozowski (126) and James Escobar (150) for the second-place Rockets.

Rochester also got a fourth from Walker Quimby (138), a fifth from Dylan Estes (144), and a sixth from Jared Lauwerens (215).

3rd place: University (141)

Coach Caleb Phillips’ boys from Normal earned him three individual titles, from Joshua Butler (120), Nolan Lowe (126), and Ethan Lowe (144), plus a second from Landon Hinkle (285). Clayton Piper (106) and Charles Karun (175) placed third for the Pioneers, Joseph Hunt (215) was fourth, and Joshua Carabello (150) placed sixth.

Other individual champions in Urbana were East Alton-Wood River’s Jamal Burgess (132) and Drake Champlin (215), Urbana’s Edwin Villagomez (165), and Williamsville’s Matthew Crouch.

Second-place finishers also included Heyworth’s Landon Niesiawski (106) and Logan Stout (150), Effingham’s Kaiden Stewart (126), Gage Emmerich (157) and Jeremiah Lorton (215), Urbana’s Malachi Hutchinson (138), Charleston’s Koltan Dare (165) and Marcelix Boling (190), and Lanphier’s Jaylen Crowder (175).

Top individual statistics:

Most pins, least time – 4 in 6:19 by Williamsville’s Anthony Beckman

Most tech falls, least time – 1 in 2:47 by Danville’s Josiah Williams

Most single-match points – 24 by Heyworth’s Michael Vacca

Most total match points – 38 by Danville’s Josiah Williams

Most team points – 5-way tie with 28 by East Alton-Wood River’s Jamal Burgess and Drake Champlin, Rochester’s Connor Broughton, University’s Nolan Lowe, and Williamsville’s Matthew Crouch.

Urbana Invite championship match results: (no wrestlers entered at 113)

106 – Pierce Bultmann (Rochester) F 2:49 Landon Niesiawski (Heyworth)

120 – Joshua Butler (University) D 7-4 Conner Carroll (Rochester)

126 – Nolan Lowe (University) F 2:57 Kaiden Stewart (Effingham)

132 – Jamal Burgess (East Alton-Wood River) F 5:58 Ty Rangel (Danville)

138 – Josiah Williams (Danville) MD 10-2 Malachi Hutchinson (Urbana)

144 – Ethan Lowe (University) D 8-6 Drake Pfeiffer (Rochester)

150 – Marquan Shaw (Danville) F 0:55 Logan Stout (Heyworth)

157 – Tristan Poplous (Danville) F 2:45 Gage Emmerich (Effingham)

165 – Edwin Villagomez (Urbana) F 3:35 Koltan Dare (Charleston)

175 – Phillip Shaw IV (Danville) F 2:22 Jaylen Crowder (Lanphier)

190 – Connor Broughton (Rochester) F 3:45 Marcelix Boling (Charleston)

215 – Drake Champlin (East Alton-Wood River) F 2:32 Jeremiah Lorton (Effingham)

285 – Matthew Crouch (Williamsville) F 1:20 Landon Hinkle (University)

Third-place matches:

106 – Clayton Piper (University) Inj. 3:23 Haley Richter (Heyworth)

120 – Miles Carroll (Rochester) F 5:02 Jack Rutledge (Heyworth)

126 – Nick Mrozowski (Rochester) F 1:27 Kendrick Pittman (Danville)

132 – Austin Schnitker (Lanphier) F 6:00 Terrance Brewer (Urbana)

138 – Baker Moon (Effingham) F 1:58 Walker Quimby (Rochester)

144 – Trevor Soice (Heyworth) MD 17-4 Emiliano Bedello (Urbana)

150 – James Escobar (Rochester) F 2:52 Jonnah Fonner (Urbana)

157 – Alexander England (Charleston)

165 – None

175 – Charles Karun (University) D 10-3 Michael Soto (East Alton-Wood River)

190 – Phoenix Parker (Danville) F 5:53 Anthony Beckman (Williamsville)

215 – Mayson Buckman (Williamsville) F 1:35 Joseph Hunt (University)

285 – Stormy Hughes (Charleston) D 8-4 Kamarion Miles (Danville)

Final team scores: 1. Danville (187.5) 2. Rochester (149.5) 3. University (141) 4. East Alton-Wood River (101) 5. Effingham (92.5) 6. Urbana (88.5) 7. Heyworth (86) 8. Charleston (84) 9. Williamsville (68) 10. Lanphier (42.5)