ROCHELLE — Head coach Alphonso Vruno emphasized individual success as the Rochelle Hub varsity wrestling team progressed through the 2024-25 season. The focus on individual results culminated with another trip to the IHSA Boys Individual State Finals in Champaign, where the program landed three medalists on the podium, a school record for one season.

Rochelle finished with a 21-7 overall record and a 5-0 record in the Interstate 8, winning the conference championship for the third consecutive season. With a record-setting senior class spearheading the charge, Rochelle landed three IHSA regional champions and placed second at the regional tournament as a team. The Hubs sent six wrestlers to sectionals this season.

“This senior class is really special to our program, not only for their results on the mat, but their leadership and direction they’ve helped this program go in,” Vruno said. “They bought into what we wanted them to and I can see some of these kids want to get back on the mat in a couple of weeks. The culture these kids are creating… Even though we had a very successful season, some of the kids might say we left some things on the table. Living in the ‘never satisfied’ space isn’t a bad thing and we’re already looking ahead to how we can improve for next season.”

Rochelle delivered in tournament action throughout the season, taking second in the Giardini Invitational at Rockford East and third out of 25 schools at the XLIX Sycamore Invitational. The Hubs, who finished fourth in the Marty Williams Invitational at Mahomet-Seymour, successfully defended their conference title at the JV level, winning the Interstate 8 tournament for a third year in a row. Rochelle ended the season with five IHSA state qualifiers (four boys, one girl).

“Our kids know how to wrestle on their feet and I thought we got better in our short offense,” Vruno said. “When kids take bad shots, we have to score off of those and I thought our kids got better at their re-attacks. That helped a lot of our kids win some close matches this season… You can never be too good on the mat and while I think our team has made big strides in the top position, we have a lot of work to do in the bottom. Getting out is going to be a focus next year. Our kids struggle with the perception that they’re trapped down there and that’s not the case.”

Among the seniors set to depart from the varsity program are Kaiden Morris (49-5) and Grant Gensler (49-7), who each medaled in fifth at the state meet and set a new school record for single-season wins with 49. Morris became the winningest wrestler in RTHS history this season, ending his career with 172 victories.

Also moving on will be Xavier Villalobos (42-6), whose historic career included becoming Rochelle's first four-time IHSA state qualifier, three-time state medalist and two-time state runner up. After taking second as a freshman and fifth as a junior, Villalobos returned to the state finals and placed second this year.

On the girls side, senior Dempsey Atkinson (24-3) concluded her historic career at the state meet and finished her time at RTHS as both a three-time IHSA state qualifier and a two-time IHSA state medalist. While Atkinson will depart from the program after this season, junior Cammyla Macias (22-8) and sophomore Adyson Carter are two Lady Hubs who could carry the torch into next season.

Although Rochelle will see a talented and accomplished senior class departing, the Hubs are still expected to remain a competitive squad next winter. Junior Roman Villalobos (39-12) earned his 100th career victory and wrestled at state for the first time. Villalobos headlines a deep junior class that includes past sectional qualifiers such as Brenden Voight (27-9) and Freddie Hernandez (34-14). Deegan Schabacker (25-16), Keagan Albers (17-17) and Frank Nasca (20-20) are three more juniors to watch for.

The Hubs also saw multiple underclassmen step up this season. Sophomores Josh Lassiter (26-17) and Hadley Losoya (5-0), as well as freshmen Aidan Lopez (34-13) and AJ Milan (12-8), are only a few of the young wrestlers who could see bigger varsity roles next season. Lopez was one of six Rochelle wrestlers who advanced to the sectional tournament in Washington this season.

“We’re looking for our young wrestlers to be really big contributors next year,” Vruno said. “Kids like Freddie, Roman and Brenden are going into their senior seasons and we’ll be looking for their leadership. Sometimes they struggle to be vocal, but they do a nice job of setting an example on the mat. Kids like Deegan and Keagan have made huge strides year after year and I’m hoping they can break through. We’re really hoping Hadley can crack the lineup next year. I’ve talked with my assistants and we think that we can be a better dual team next season.”