Blue and yellow signs with the number ‘100’ decorated the home bleachers as Johnsburg’s Duke Mays celebrated a career milestone during the team’s Kishwaukee River Conference meet on Jan. 15.

A top returning starter for the Skyhawks, Mays earned two wins as Johnsburg cruised over Marengo and Harvard to remain undefeated in the KRC. It was a meet to remember for Mays, who beat Marengo’s Connor Sacco and Harvard’s Cash Stott by pin to eclipse the 100-win mark for his varsity wrestling career.

“The community is so tight around here, and it’s so amazing to be a part of it,” Mays said. “From the little kids to the junior high kids ... they all come and support us. I’ve been wrestling since I was in second grade, and I couldn’t give more credit to my mom and dad. JD [Sylvanus] has done something amazing with this program.”

[ Johnsburg wrestling wins first conference championship since 1995 ]

Mays, who placed second at both regionals and sectionals to reach the state meet last season, is one of several key contributors for a Johnsburg group that ranks among the best Class 1A teams with a 15-1 record and perfect 7-0 mark in the KRC.

“Our drill pace helps so much,” said Mays, who wrestles at 175. “Coach JD does an awesome job with conditioning, but the drill pace and keeping a good pace on the mat, that helps so much. Our pre-match routines are amazing because we drill what we’re going to do in the actual match, and that helps a lot.”

Conference champions for the first time since 1995, the Skyhawks took down Richmond-Burton on Thursday to finish unbeaten in the KRC. Johnsburg rosters just one senior on varsity, but youth hasn’t been a factor for the Skyhawks, who brought back multiple state qualifiers from a 2024-25 team that went 17-3 in dual matches.

“This is exactly what I expected,” said Kainoa Ancog, Johnsburg’s lone senior. “We don’t stop moving. We’re constantly moving, and we’re constantly drilling. JD’s really helpful with our drill pacing, our live movements and making sure our gas tanks are at the top tier. Wrestling is a tough sport, and you have to keep moving.”

Mays and 120-pounder Chase Vogel are returning state qualifiers for the Skyhawks, whose dual results this year include wins against larger schools like Crystal Lake South, Grayslake North and Cary-Grove. Johnsburg is seeking its first regional wrestling championship since the 1996-97 season.

“It’s definitely been a great season,” Vogel said. “We truly have the ability to be one of the top teams in the state. ... We’re definitely a team that doesn’t lose our gas tanks and we push hard all match. We expect to make a run to team state.”

Mays isn’t the only area wrestler to break the century mark in wins this season. Woodstock 126-pounder Taqi Baker, a senior and two-time sectional qualifier, eclipsed 100 wins during Harvard’s 58th Sciacca-Holtfreter Invitational last month. Senior 157-pounder Logan Wisner also surpassed 100 wins in a meet on Saturday.

“It’s just another step in the journey,” Baker said. “My coach brought it up to me last year, and it was just another goal to set for myself. It was very special, especially for Woodstock wrestling. It doesn’t only represent a milestone for me. It also represents a milestone for this program and what it can be for years to come.”

Behind key seniors like Baker and Wisner, who have fought back from significant elbow and arm injuries, Woodstock is making strides in the KRC. Wrestling under new coach Matt Kitsis, a former assistant who took the program over from Eric Hunt, the Blue Streaks finished 5-2 in the KRC after beating Woodstock North.

“We have a designed warm-up with coach Kitsis,” Wisner said. “We hand fight, we work on underhooks, we drill shots. ... I like coach Kitsis because he cares about us a lot and he wrestles with us too, which has been helpful. He cares about us, not just the legacy of the team. He cares about us as individuals.”

Woodstock hasn’t been afraid to challenge itself in nonconference duals. The Blue Streaks have taken on larger schools like Grayslake Central and Crystal Lake Central in addition to private schools like St. Viator and Carmel. Newcomers like freshman 113-pounder Cole Malo have given the varsity lineup a boost.

“We have a lot of strong wrestlers,” Malo said. “Everyone’s really nice and everyone’s supporting each other. ... We’ve been drilling a lot on top, bottom and in neutral. Everyone’s supporting each other, so when we struggle with something, people with more experience in that area come and step in.”

Woodstock will be one of seven McHenry County schools competing at the Class 2A Harvard Regional on Saturday. The Blue Streaks will have senior 175-pounder Ayden Dobler back for the stretch run. Dobler, who placed third at regionals and qualified for sectionals last year, returns after suffering a knee injury during the football season.

“I thought I was going to be out for the whole season,” Dobler said. “I took PT very seriously, and I’m ready to get back into it. The injury was stressful at the beginning, but as time went on, it got easier and easier. I started pushing myself a little more, and it improved while I did that. I just appreciate that I’m here now.”