Wrestling Club: Junior Hubs battle in IKWF North Sectional

Seven Rochelle-area grapplers qualify for state championships

Russell Hodges
Posted 3/8/20

Rochelle Township High School hosted the IKWF North Sectional on Saturday, and six members of the Rochelle Wrestling Club qualified for the IKWF State Championships next weekend with top-3 finishes in the Novice and Senior Divisions. Additionally, one member of the Rochelle Middle School team will join the sixsome at the state meet.

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Wrestling Club: Junior Hubs battle in IKWF North Sectional

Seven Rochelle-area grapplers qualify for state championships

Posted

ROCHELLE — Rochelle Township High School hosted the IKWF North Sectional on Saturday, and six members of the Rochelle Wrestling Club qualified for the IKWF State Championships next weekend with top-3 finishes in the Novice and Senior Divisions. Additionally, one member of the Rochelle Middle School team will join the sixsome at the state meet.

RWC placed seventh overall in the sectional tournament with 163 points, earning a third-place trophy in the Senior Division. Two Junior Hubs won sectional championships on Saturday including Xavier Villalobos (1-0), who defeated Kaneland’s Kamrom Scholl 4-1 to win the 84-pound senior title. Roman Villalobos (3-0) pinned two straight opponents before topping Belvidere’s Noah Rooney 4-1 to win the 108-pound Novice Division title.

Four RWC grapplers earned second-place medals including Thomas Tourdot, Erich Metzger, Kaiden Morris and Lauro Cabral. Tourdot (2-1) won his first two matches before conceding a 7-6 decision to DAWC’s Koletyn Zanoni in the 79-pound senior finals. Metzger (2-1) also recorded two straight victories on Saturday, falling 12-0 to Joseph Scrivani in the 154-pound senior finals.

Koonce

Morris (1-1) opened the 176-pound senior bracket with a 5-3 decision over Paulie Rudolph before falling against Dakota’s Noah Wenzel in the finals. Cabral wrestled one bout on Saturday, falling in the championship round to Oregon’s Landen Elder. Rochelle Middle School wrestler Elias Koonce (3-0) took first in the 90-pound senior bracket, defeating Crystal Lake’s Tommy Hammond with a pin in the finals to earn a spot in the state meet.

Two RWC wrestlers competed in the Intermediate Division including Zachary Johnson (2-1), who won two matches by decision before falling 10-0 in the finals to place second in the 76-pound bracket. Aidan Lopez (1-2) earned one victory in the 64-pound bracket.

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Five RWC grapplers competed, but did not place in the Novice Division, including Boone Alderks (2-2), Benjamin Nadig (1-2), Tony Milburn (2-2), Brenden Voight (2-2) and Fernando Bautista. Grant Gensler (2-2) took fourth place in the 90-pound senior bracket, reaching the third-place bout but falling 3-1 against Michael Meade. Additional senior competitors were Joseph Nadig (1-2), Rhett Watson (1-2), Riley Damask and Brandyn Metzger.

The IKWF State Championships begin with weigh-ins on Thursday at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford. Matches begin Friday and progress through Saturday.