Herald-News Boys Wrestling Notebook: Postseason assignments, rankings become clearer as season winds down

With the wrestling season past the halfway mark, the IHSA has announced assignments for regionals and sectionals. The individual regionals will take place Feb. 4, with the top three placers in each weight class advancing to individual sectionals. The top team in each regional also will advance to the team dual sectionals, which take place after the individual state championships.

For those wanting to get a look at area wrestlers, there will be no better place than Plainfield North. The Class 3A regional there will feature teams from Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way West, Providence Catholic, Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield North, Plainfield South and Romeoville. Those advancing will move on to the Normal Community Individual Sectional. The site of the team dual sectional has yet to be determined.

Also feeding into the Normal Community Individual Sectional are the Moline Regional and the Lockport Regional. Competing at Moline will be Joliet Central, Joliet West and Minooka, while Lincoln-Way East and Lockport will take part in the Lockport Regional.

The other regional featuring a local team will be at Glenbard East, where Bolingbrook will compete. Any Raiders that advance will move on to the Hinsdale Central Sectional.

In Class 2A, Lemont will compete in the Hinsdale South Regional, with Joliet Catholic Academy hosting a regional of its own. Both feed into the Hinsdale South Individual Sectional, and qualifying teams will wrestle at the Brother Rice Dual Team Sectional. Also in Class 2A, Morris will take part in the Burlington Central Regional, with qualifiers moving on to the Rochelle Individual Sectional and teams advancing to the Sycamore Dual Team Sectional.

In Class 1A, all of the local teams competing will take part in the Reed-Custer Regional, which feeds into the Coal City Individual Sectional and Wilmington Dual Team Sectional. Teams competing are Reed-Custer, Coal City, Dwight, Peotone, Seneca and Wilmington.

Team, individual rankings

Several teams and individuals are peppered throughout the latest rankings on illinoismatmen.com.

In the Class 3A team rankings, Lockport is ranked eighth, with Lincoln-Way East 10th, Lincoln-Way West 11th, Plainfield North 17th and Lincoln-Way Central 19th.

In the Class 2A team rankings, defending state champion JCA is ranked first and Lemont 12th.

In Class 1A, Coal City is ranked first, Seneca is 24th and Reed-Custer is 25th.

Conspicuous in his absence in the individual rankings is Brayden Thompson, the defending Class 3A 170-pound state champion from Lockport. Thompson is committed to Oklahoma State University and recently transferred from Lockport to Stillwater High School in Oklahoma in order to acclimate himself to his eventual college home.

Area Class 3A wrestlers who are ranked in the top 10 are: 106 – Maddox Garbis, Plainfield North (6th); Isaac Zimmerman, Lockport (10th); 113 – Justin Wardlow, Lockport (9th); 126 – Jad Alwawi, Lockport (4th); Carson Weber, Joliet West (7th); Nathan Knowlton, Lincoln-Way Central (9th); Cayden Amico, Plainfield North, (10th); 138 – Carlos Munoz-Flores, Lockport (7th); 160 – Logan Swaw, Lockport (2nd); Zach LaMonto, Lincoln-Way East (9th); 170 – Ari Zaeske, Lincoln-Way East (4th); Aidan Nolting, Lockport (10th); 182 – Max Bowen, Plainfield Central (2nd); 195 – Matthew Janiak, Plainfield South (8th); 220 – Leo Tovar, Plainfield North (6th); 285 – Wyatt Schmitt, Joliet West (3rd).

Class 2A wrestlers from the area ranked in the top 10 are: 106 – Noah Avina, JCA (7th); 113 – Jason Hampton, JCA (3rd); 120 – Gylon Sims, JCA (1st, defending state champ); 138 – Sam Schuit, Lemont (4th); Jake Hamiti, JCA (7th); 145 – Johnny O’Connor, Lemont (7th); 152 – Connor Cumbee, JCA (6th); 160 - Mason Alessio, JCA (1st); 170 – Mike Jabaay, Lemont (4th); Nicholas Ronchetti, JCA (10th); 182 – Nathan Wrublik, Lemont (9th); 195 – Maximus Hrvatin, JCA (7th); 220 – Hunter Powell, JCA (7th); 285 – Dillan Johnson, JCA (1st, defending state champ); Alex Pasquale, Lemont (7th).

Area Class 1A wrestlers ranked in the top 10 are: 106 – Culan Lindemuth, Coal City (7th); 113 – Brody Widlowski, Coal City (10th); 138 – Brant Widlowski, Coal City (9th); 145 – Mateo Blessing, Coal City (3rd); 152 – Marco Spinazzola, Peotone (5th); Landin Benson, Coal City (8th); 160 – Asher Hamby, Seneca (4th); 170 – Derek Carlson, Coal City (5th); 182 – Joey Breneman, Coal City (8th); 190 – Chris Peura, Seneca (8th); Braiden Young, Coal City (9th); 220 – Kody Marschner, Reed-Custer (2nd); Drake Dearth, Coal City (4th); 285 – Michael Gonzalez, Coal City (2nd); Gunnar Berg, Reed-Custer (7th).