It’s a rare feat to win a state championship. It’s even rarer to win two, and even greater of a feat to get three.

But for both St. Charles East and Marmion, a wrestler has a chance to finish off their high school career with a prestigious third title.

When the IHSA boys wrestling State Championships begin Thursday at State Farm Arena in Champaign, St. Charles East senior Dom Munaretto and Marmion senior Nicholas Garcia will be looking to win their third individual title.

“It’s a crazy, full-circle moment coming in for the last time,” Munaretto said. “It just went by so fast. I still feel like I was just a freshman getting in there for the first time after watching it my whole life, and it’s just insane to think about.”

Both Munaretto (120 pounds) and Garcia (132) enter the state weekend as the top-ranked wrestler and the No. 1 seed in their weight class in Class 3A. Munaretto will start his journey against Edwardsville’s Timothy Swain, while Garcia will face off against West Chicago’s Brian Correa.

“It would just be really satisfying to get that third title,” Garcia said. “It’s a little bittersweet with it being my last time going around, and I just want to make this the best one that I can.”

For Munaretto, it would be an addition to an already record-breaking season. In the quarterfinals of the Conant sectional, the Ohio State commit became just the seventh wrestler in IHSA history to record 200 career victories.

“It really is such a large number, and just being able to go out there and grind that much, it just feels amazing,” Munaretto said. “It means a lot to have that under my belt as an accomplishment, and it says a lot about my ability to withstand a challenge.”

Munaretto would be only the third Saints wrestler to claim a third state title, joining former teammates Ben Davino (four-time champion) and Jayden Colon as the only wrestlers to achieve the feat.

“Titles aside, he belongs there alongside those two,” Saints coach Jason Potter said. “Just to have the productivity he’s had and the level of wrestler that he is, he’s right there with them.

“His legacy to this program is proving that you don’t need 1,000 moves to be excellent. He’s mastered the series that he likes the most, and even when people know that it’s coming, they can’t stop it.”

At 45-0 on the season, Munaretto comes in as one of three wrestlers in Class 3A with spotless records heading into the state meet. Only Montini’s Bobby Ruscitti (126) and Belleville East’s Johnathan Rulo (285) also have clean records.

He’s also won 94 straight matches, which included winning the 120-pound title last season to add alongside his 106 title from his freshman year. His last loss coming in the quarterfinals of the Ironman tournament back in November 2024.

“Every single tournament, I’m thinking about that stat a lot,” Munaretto said. “I’m not overlooking anybody just because I’m having such a great year. I’m taking every match very seriously and looking to wrestle my absolute best. I’m not letting it go to my head, I’m just trying to stay grounded.”

Munaretto will be one of nine Saints wrestlers making the trip down to state, which is tied with Montini for the second-most wrestlers in Class 3A. And with a lot of wrestlers expected to face off against some guys they might face at the Dual state championships in the following week, the goal is to get the early advantage.

“The expectation is that we go wrestle like we can wrestle, wrestle as hard as we can, and give ourselves an opportunity to do some fun, magical things,” Potter said. “It’s a real fine balance between everything being about this weekend and also trying to manage the success or the disappointment if things don’t go your way and how we can stay focused and keep the team in mind.”

For Garcia, who enters the state meet with a 46-2 record, he’s looking to win his third consecutive title. After placing fourth in the 106 bracket as a freshman, he’s won back-to-back titles at 113 and 126 in his sophomore and junior seasons.

“That loss as a freshman definitely changed the trajectory of my high school career,” Garcia said. “I have no regrets about my freshman season and it was all for the better. I worked so much harder that offseason and had my major jump.”

Should he win, Garcia would be the second wrestler in Marmion history to have three individual state titles. Only Johnny Jimenez, who won four straight from 2010-2014, has achieved the feat before.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen anyone like Garcia,” Cadets coach Anthony Cirrincione said. “He’s not only the toughest kid I’ve met when it comes to wrestling, but he walks into every match knowing he’s going to win. His skill set is unique, his strength and flexibility is too, but his mind is what separates him.

“Honestly, among the coaching staff, there’s a heated debate as to who’s the best ever among Garcia and Jimenez, and amongst the majority, we know that it’s Nicholas.”

There’s also a bit of added sentiment in heading down to Champaign this time around. Garcia committed to Illinois back in November, making it his last trip down there before he calls it home.

“I think I’ll have a bit more fans than last time and a lot more people on my side,” Garcia said. “It’s rare to see someone going for there third state title. Most arenas cheer for them, and I feel like I have a family down there that is ready to back me up, and I know they’ll be cheering loud.”

Garcia will be one of 10 Marmion wrestlers vying for a chance at a state title, which is tied with Joliet Catholic for the most in Class 3A. Of the 10, seven of them are ranked as a top-3 wrestler in their respective weight class on the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.

“We’re looking at it as a coaching staff, and we’re saying, realistically, we think we can all 10 of them could be to the semifinals,” Cirrincione said. “We do think we have a good handful that are going to be state champs. And we do believe we’re going to surprise some people and have some other kids out do their rankings, so the mood is super positive.”