Out of the 25 McHenry County-area wrestlers competing at the Class 3A Barrington Sectional on Saturday, only one – Hampshire’s Knox Homola – completed for a title.

And the Whip-Purs’ 285-pound sophomore came through in his first sectional championship match with a 15-7 major decision win over Mt. Prospect’s James Brouilette.

“Honestly, I feel like I was a little gassed out during that match,” Homola said.

Fighting through the exhaustion, Homola turned a match that was tied at 4 after the first period into one of his biggest high school wins yet.

With head coach Matt Todd leading the Hampshire girls team at the Schaumburg Sectional, the Whips’ assistants, including Robert Homola, Knox’s dad, stepped in to help Knox, senior Michael Brannigan (157 pounds, third place) and freshman Luthor Rajcevich (106, fourth) qualify for the IHSA state tourney, which will be held Feb. 19-21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

“The intensity in the room has been great all year, and the kids have had a really strong drive to try to push it to the next level,” Robert Homola said.

For the most part, Knox appreciates having his dad as a coach.

“It helps out a lot having your dad as a coach. It comes with its benefits. He also keeps me in line everyday, so, you know, that has drawbacks,” Knox said within earshot of his dad, who was laughing nearby. “If I got any bad grades, then he knows about it.”

Huntley’s Colin Abordo (120), who placed sixth at last year’s state tournament, repeated as a state qualifier with a fourth-place finish.

“I just have to wrestle tough every match and make sure that I’m focusing on what I can do and not on what other people are doing,” Abordo said. “My goal this year is to place higher than last year.

Abordo will be joined at state by fellow senior and teammate Colin Huminsky (138), who earned his way to state with a fourth-place finish.

“Colin and Colin, they go 100% at practice, and it paid off for them,” Huntley coach BJ Bertelsman said.

“Colin Huminsky is kind of a crazy story,” Bertelsman said of Huminsky, who wasn’t a varsity starter as a junior. “He wasn’t even a starter and totally flipped it this year. He transferred from Geneva after his sophomore year and just went crazy this year, so it’s awesome to see him go.”

Huminsky credits his pre-match routine for helping with his mindset.

“I always pray before I wrestle,” Huminsky said. “That’s a big thing for me. That definitely helps ease my nerves.”

However, Huminsky doesn’t like to stay so calm after a match is underway.

“I trust in my offense. Offense for me is huge. I would say my pace is very, very good,” he said. “I just don’t stop attacking. When a dude comes at me and tries to attack, I usually score.”

Other area wrestlers to advance were McHenry’s Ryan Johnston (144 pounds, fourth place) and Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (215, third).

Moreno’s attention to his craft ensured he would be one of the state competitors this year.

“I was able to get to my attacks well and just be less in my head than I normally would be, just trying to live in the moment rather than focus on what’s upcoming,” Moreno said.