The fifth IHSA girls wrestling State Finals take place this weekend, and there are a bunch of wrestlers from the Herald-News area to keep an eye on.

While state previews are normally broken down by classification, girls wrestling is separated strictly by weight class.

Just one wrestler from the area will be participating in the 100-pound bracket. Lincoln-Way freshman McKenzie Steinke (40-9) enters as the 16th seed and will face top seed Alex Gregorio-Perez of DeKalb in a tough draw.

Copy and paste that scenario into the 105-pound bracket. Another Lincoln-Way freshman (Emmy Hoselton, also 40-9) is facing off against the top seed in Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune. No other locals qualified at 105.

At 110, there’s a potentially interesting matchup as eighth-seeded Angelina Nettey (20-7) of Plainfield East will battle Sunny Aitzemkour, the ninth seed out of New Trier.

Things get interesting at 115. Lincoln-Way’s Zoe Dempsey (45-2) has been one of the top wrestlers in the area since her freshman season, and this year has been her best yet. She enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed and begins with a battle against Aaliyah Vazquez of Warren.

Dempsey has finished on the podium every year, including third last year, but she’s yet to capture the title. She’ll be aiming to end her high school career on top for the first time.

“I’m very grateful to have done what I love the past four years,” Dempsey said. “I love representing my school, and I feel like I’m getting better every year. The biggest key is to keep my head in every match.”

There will be no local representative at 120, but 125 is the most well-represented bracket in the area.

The story starts with top-seeded Samantha Greisen (41-4) of Seneca. The senior finished sixth at state two years ago but didn’t make the podium in 2024. She’ll be looking to take home the top prize this season. She starts her journey against Olive Linhorst of Edwardsville.

Joining her is Molly O’Connor (41-9) of Lemont. She’s the ninth seed and will start against eighth-seeded Mary Minogue of Libertyville.

Fifth-seeded Caleigh Nicholson (37-12) of Lincoln-Way rounds out the group as she wrestles against No. 12 seed Ariella Dobin of Glenbrook North.

In another 16 vs. 1 match at 130, Sabina Charlebois (36-7) of Minooka will look to take down No. 1 seed Sydney Cannon of Mt. Zion.

The area’s best chance for a championship comes from senior Claudia Heeney, who has brought it home in back-to-back years. Lockport’s Heeney (38-3), at 135, will look to make it a three-peat this year before moving on to wrestle in college.

Heeney is the top seed and will battle Tamya Terry of Urbana. While the favorite going in, Heeney has maintained throughout the year that she’s taking it one match at a time.

“The best thing to do is always keep working on my feet,” she said. “Working as much as I can and tweaking little things on top and bottom will help me prepare for my next match.”

After finishing in fourth place last year, Dwight sophomore Avery Crouch (29-1) is back. She’s the fifth seed and will take on Mercedes Carrassoco to start the tournament.

Joliet Central‘s Izabel Barrera (34-4) is the No. 10 seed and will wrestle Addyson Bailey of Collinsville.

Fourth-seeded Ezra Rodriguez (39-4) from Minooka will face Zoe Bloyd of Quincy to start at 140, while Lincoln-Way’s Abby Kunz (41-8) is the 14th seed facing third-seeded Tyanna Jackson of Warren.

Lincoln-Way’s Ella Giertuga (36-7) is the No. 12 seed at 145 and takes on Eila Barbour of Lane.

No one made it at 155, but at 170, Lincoln-Way’s Riley Depolo (37-7) will battle Janylah Holman of Cahokia, and third-seeded Layla Spann (44-0) of Plainfield South will take on Iy`Jah Grant of Champaign Central.

Kimyra Patrick (43-5) of Plainfield South is the 13th seed at 190 and will wrestle Fenwick’s Valiere Franco. Lockport’s Sophie Kelner (40-10) is the No. 10 seed facing Lucia Terrazas of TF South.

Finally, in the 235-pound bracket, Henessis Villagrana (38-4) of Romeoville is the No. 8 seed, taking on Jasmine Enriquez of Sycamore, and Lockport’s Rebekah Ramirez (39-5) is the No. 3 seed going against Savannah Trevino of Belvidere.

The state tournament is Friday and Saturday at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington.