The IHSA boys individual state finals will be held Feb. 19-21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Here are three local storylines to watch as nearly three dozen area wrestlers gear up for the meet.

Can Marian Central’s Jimmy Mastny 3-peat in the finals?

Very little has stood in Mastny’s way this season. A two-time state champion in Class 1A, a nationally-ranked wrestler and an Iowa State recruit, Mastny has once again dominated this postseason, winning regional and sectional championships with relative ease.

Entering the state tournament with a 49-1 record, Mastny will try to become Marian Central’s first wrestler to win three state titles since Dylan Connell, a four-time champion whose last title came at the IWCOA Boys Open State Championship. Connell, who graduated in 2021, didn’t have an IHSA postseason as a senior due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Should Mastny become a three-time champion, he’d finish with a 53-1 record, which is the exact record he ended with when he won his second 1A title as a sophomore. Mastny is also vying to win his third title at a third weight class. After winning in 1A at 157 as a freshman, Mastny bumped up to 190 and won as a sophomore.

Mastny now wrestles at 215, where he’s ranked No. 1 in 2A by the IWCOA. 2A’s defending state champion, Washington’s Josh Hoffer, has already lost to Mastny three times, twice by pin and once by technical fall. Mastny is one of five state-ranked Marian Central wrestlers who will be competing in Champaign this weekend.

Which classes will have the most area representation?

A total of 33 wrestlers from 14 area schools qualified to compete at the state tournament. Almost half of those wrestlers (16) will scrap in 2A, while 10 will compete in 1A and seven will be in 3A.

Marian Central leads the way with five state qualifiers in 2A, while Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South both advanced three. Prairie Ridge qualified two and three schools (Burlington Central, Cary-Grove and Woodstock) have one wrestler heading to state.

McHenry County’s 1A teams (Alden-Hebron, Johnsburg, Marengo and Richmond-Burton) had a strong showing at Saturday’s Byron sectional. The Rockets qualified four wrestlers to lead the area’s 1A teams, while Johnsburg and Marengo each advanced three.

Hampshire and Huntley, which had a combined 17 wrestlers at the sectional in Barrington, have multiple wrestlers moving on to state. The Whip-Purs qualified three to lead all 3A area schools. Huntley advanced two, while Dundee-Crown and McHenry each landed one.

Will McHenry County have a first-time medalist or champion?

Of the seven area wrestlers competing in the 3A state tournament, none have won state titles. Huntley’s Colin Abordo (120), who took sixth last season, is the only wrestler who’s earned a state medal.

Abordo (40-8), Hampshire’s Knox Homola (285) and Dundee-Crown’s Teigen Moreno (215) are three wrestlers to watch this weekend. Both Homola (36-4) and Moreno (40-3) are vying for their first state medals. Additionally, Homola is the only state-qualifying 3A area wrestler to win a sectional title this season.

In 2A, Brendan Nardin (150) and Dan French (190) are two of the three Marian Central wrestlers who won sectional championships in Geneseo last weekend. Nardin (10-0), a freshman and the only undefeated boys wrestler remaining in the area, has won each of his last three tournaments. French (26-5) is now a three-time state qualifier, but he’s still seeking his first career state medal.

Crystal Lake Central’s Nick Marchese (144) has a chance to make a deep run in the 2A tournament. Now a three-time state qualifier, with his first coming in Arizona, Marchese (38-4) has dominated this postseason. A regional and sectional winner, Marchese is the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 144 behind only Jack Hogan of St. Rita.

Another Tiger to watch will be Jackson Marlett (120), who placed sixth at state last season. Marlett (23-5), who wrestled at 113 last season, is the No. 4-ranked wrestler in his new weight class. Both Marchese and Marlett are seeking their first state titles.

Crystal Lake South’s Nathan Randle (138), who became a four-time state qualifier over the weekend, is the No. 2-ranked wrestler at his weight class. Randle (36-3) will be attempting to win his first state title and his first state medal since his freshman season at Wauconda, when he finished second. Aiden Marrello (165), who owns a 42-2 record, is hunting for his first state medal at South.

Aiden Rodriguez (175) will represent Prairie Ridge at state for the first time. Rodriguez (40-3) took second at the Geneseo Sectional, losing only to Geneseo’s Kye Weinzierl, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the class. Rodriguez, a sophomore and the No. 6-ranked wrestler at 175, is going for his first state medal and his first state title.

Woodstock’s Taqi Baker (126) will also try for his first state medal after finishing second in Geneseo. Baker (38-4) picked up two big wins at the sectional tournament, defeating Rochelle’s Aidan Lopez and Crystal Lake Central’s Dylan Ramsey. Lopez ranks fourth in the weight class and Ramsey, like Baker, is an honorable mention.

In 1A, Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson (126) is the only healthy returning state medalist from the area. Nelson (31-6), who took fifth at 106 last season, is one of four Rockets vying for hardware in Champaign. Shane Falasca (215) and Breckin Campbell (285), both ranked in the state, are attempting to win their first medals. Campbell (31-9), a two-time qualifier, ranks No. 4 in his class.

Johnsburg’s Duke Mays (175) and Chase Vogel (120) are each returning state qualifiers, but both are trying for their first state medals. Mays (37-7), No. 6 at his class, is Johnsburg’s highest-ranked wrestler. Vogel (34-7) was a sectional finalist in Byron.

Marengo’s state qualifiers include star freshman Mitchell Aukes (138), who’s ranked No. 6 at his weight class. Aukes (42-4) has the most wins of any 1A area wrestler who advanced to state. Four area schools (Alden-Hebron, Harvard, Jacobs and Woodstock North) did not have state qualifiers in boys wrestling this season.