Millard earns title as 10 athletes record top-4 finishes

SAINT CHARLES — The Rochelle Wrestling Club sent 20 athletes to the St. Charles East Battle for the Shield on Sunday afternoon, with 10 athletes taking home top-4 finishes in the tournament. Teddy Millard emerged as the lone champion for the Junior Hubs in the meet.

Millard won the 65-66 Intermediate Division with a 3-0 record. Millard opened with a fall over Sandwich’s Bodee Harmon before scoring a 9-5 decision over St. Charles wrestler Preston Lee. Millard clinched the shield with a 7-0 sudden victory over Hononegah’s Owen Lovejoy. 

Two Rochelle wrestlers recorded runner-up finishes on Sunday. Eoghan Good finished second in the 41-43 Tots Division with a 2-1 record, opening the tournament with consecutive falls over Fox Valley’s Christopher Ontiveros and DeKalb’s Bryce Collins. Xander Gonzales finished second in the 97-102 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record, bouncing back from a loss with two straight falls over St. Charles wrestler Will Atkins and Yorkville’s David Hernandez. 

Five Junior Hubs took third including Elias Andronic, who placed third in the 48-51 Tots Division with a 2-1 record after scoring a 14-0 major decision over Barrington’s Bryce Muniz. Easton Huff placed third in the 53-56 Tots Division with a 2-1 record after notching a fall over Barrington’s Grady Sargent. Tate Bigelow outlasted Wheaton Warrenville’s Benjamin Townsend for a 6-5 double overtime victory to place third in the 61-66 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record.

Chase Marruffo placed third in the 65-71 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record, clinching third with a fall over Morris wrestler Kash Peterson. Rowen Villalobos placed third in the 65-74 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record, sealing third with a 4-2 decision over Toss Em Up’s Ezekiel Banda.

Two Rochelle wrestlers recorded fourth-place finishes on Sunday. Nehemiah Andronic took fourth in the 62-62 Bantam Division with a 1-2 record, scoring a 16-0 technical fall against Bulls wrestler Jordan Trimm in his first match. Garrett Miller also took fourth in the 98-111 Intermediate Division with a 1-2 record, winning his first match by fall over DeKalb’s Liam Wallin.

Three Junior Hubs finished fifth including Elliot Huff, who placed fifth in the 56-59 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record after holding off Lake Zurich’s TJ Gord for a 9-7 sudden victory. Colt Hensley placed fifth in the 88-94 Bantam Division with a 2-1 record after notching a fall over Batavia’s Tristan Cortez. Dominic Escatel placed fifth in the 69-77 Intermediate Division with a 2-1 record after earning a 5-2 decision over St. Charles North wrestler Rocco Edgcomb.

Three Rochelle wrestlers took sixth including Kolten Anderson, who finished sixth in the 31-35 Tots Division with a 1-2 record. Samuel Navejas finished sixth in the 116-125 Senior Division with a 1-2 record, while Joshua Lassiter finished sixth in the 117-123 Senior Division with a 1-2 record. Wrestlers who did not place include Quentin Ansteth (84-90 Novice Division), Axel Alsop (118-122 Novice Division), Braxton Rosenthal (60-63 Intermediate Division) and Gavin Smith (69-79 Intermediate Division).