An illness may have slowed him down over the winter holidays, but senior wrestler Xavier Villalobos is rounding back into prime form after going unbeaten and taking first place for the Rochelle Hubs during the 2025 Marty Williams Invitational at Mahomet-Seymour.
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MAHOMET — An illness may have slowed him down over the winter holidays, but senior wrestler Xavier Villalobos is rounding back into prime form after going unbeaten and taking first place for the Rochelle Hubs during the 2025 Marty Williams Invitational at Mahomet-Seymour.
After runner-up finishes at the Giardini Invitational at Rockford East and the XLIX Sycamore Invitational last weekend, Villalobos took home his first individual title of the season on Saturday, when the three-time IHSA state qualifier and two-time state medalist won all five bouts to finish first at 126 pounds. Endurance wasn’t a factor for Villalobos (32-5) despite the recent illness, as the senior recorded two technical falls and a pair of major decisions to clinch his championship.
“It boosts my confidence very high,” Villalobos said. “Mahomet is a tough tournament and there are a lot of good teams there. I was 0-for-2 at the Mahomet tournament, but to go out there and win it my senior year was a great feeling. I’m still not 100 percent, but we’re slowly getting there. My body’s getting there and my lungs are coming back. Everything else feels pretty good.”
Villalobos rolled through the preliminary rounds, opening the tournament with a fall over Mahomet-Seymour’s Liam Noonan before scoring back-to-back technical falls to move into the championship bracket. Villalobos, who took fifth in the state at 126 pounds as a junior, earned a 16-1 technical fall over Carbondale’s Ayden Swan and a 21-5 technical fall over Naperville Central’s Jacob Cochran, a 30-match winner this season, to advance to the semifinal round.
“I was able to take my shots and I went out there to try and compete instead of staying on defense,” said Villalobos, who finished second in the state as a freshman. “I was able to get my shots up to my feet. I didn’t stay on the ground or give my opponents the chance to scramble where I had to defend them well. I was able to get my shots up and bring them up to my feet.”
A trio of takedowns allowed Villalobos to score an 11-3 major decision over Champaign Central’s Talin Baker, which moved the senior into a championship bout against Morris wrestler Brock Claypool, who defeated Villalobos in a dual match earlier this season. The rematch was a much different result, however, as the Hub standout compiled five takedowns without giving one up to earn a 16-5 major decision. Villalobos has exceeded 30 wins in all four years at RTHS.
“I want to bring the team down to state and make a great run there,” Villalobos said. “If not, then I want to make it down to individual state, make a great run and bring a bracket home.”
Villalobos was one of five individual champions Rochelle (19-6, 4-0 Interstate 8) crowned at Mahomet-Seymour on Saturday. Senior Grant Gensler (37-3) dominated his weight division, winning five straight matches to claim the title at 165 pounds. Gensler, who won at the XLIX Sycamore Invitational, cruised through the preliminary round with falls over Mahomet-Seymour’s Ivan Stoops, Mattoon’s Ean Freeman and Champaign Central’s Samuel Alvarado.
“I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt at any time,” said Gensler, who’s on pace to shatter the 40-win mark for the first time in his career at RTHS. “I’m getting to my positions and doing what I like to do best. This is the best I’ve ever wrestled. Staying relaxed is a big thing for me and I don’t get too worked up about things. I work for what I know I can do and one thing coach [Alphonso] Vruno says is to focus on what we can control because there are some things we can’t control.”
Gensler sealed his title with a semifinal-round fall over Naperville Central’s Nicolas Olvera and a 9-0 major decision against Mahomet-Seymour’s Alexander Demos in the final round. Gensler, who scored three takedowns in the finals, didn’t give up a single point in the tournament. Another Hub who didn’t concede a single point was senior Kaiden Morris (38-1), who went unbeaten to win the title at 215 pounds and clinch his third individual title of the season.
“My biggest keys to success over the weekend were my aggressiveness and how my pressure seemed to overwhelm my competition,” said Morris, a two-time IHSA state qualifier who finished first at the XLIX Sycamore Invitational and the Giardini Invitational earlier this season. My upper-body throws helped me succeed. It was a big confident boost because I’m checking boxes this year. This year was my first time winning the Sycamore tournament and my first time winning the Mahomet tournament. The only box I have left to check is winning a state title.”
Morris was unbreakable during his championship run on Saturday, winning all five bouts via fall without allowing a point or any match to extend beyond the first period. The senior coasted into the semifinals after consecutive falls over Morris wrestler Troy Bauer, Lincoln’s Caleb Zirklebach and Rockford East’s Etungano Kakozi. Back-to-back falls over Mattoon’s Mitchell Clapp at the 50-second mark and Belleville West’s Justin Riley at the 33-second mark sealed Morris’ title.
Rochelle took fourth out of 18 schools with 354 points in the Marty Williams Invitational. Juniors Roman Villalobos (30-8) and Brenden Voight (27-8) each finished fourth at their weight classes, with Villalobos wrestling at 190 pounds and Voight wrestling at 157 pounds. Freshman Aidan Lopez (28-10) placed fifth at 120 pounds, while junior Freddie Hernandez (28-11) took ninth at 113 pounds and sophomore Josh Lassiter (24-15) took ninth at 144 pounds for the Hubs.
The Marty Williams Invitational was one of two high school wrestling tournaments hosted at Mahomet-Seymour on Saturday. Junior Cammyla Macias and senior Dempsey Atkinson represented Rochelle in the 2025 Mary Kelly Invitational, with both athletes taking home individual titles. Atkinson (14-0) recorded her third tournament victory of the season, while Macias (15-4) pinned five consecutive opponents to earn her first tournament victory this year.
“I definitely didn’t think that I would be undefeated this year,” said Atkinson, who medaled in fifth at the state meet last season. “It’s a really good confidence booster, but it’s also a reminder that I need to keep working hard because there’s going to be some tougher competition toward the postseason. No matter what my record is, I just have to keep fighting and working hard.”
Atkinson claimed the crown at 145 pounds, surging into the championship match after two straight falls over St. Laurence’s Hannah Marusarz and Morris wrestler Savannah Vignali. The senior scored a 10-1 major decision to win the title, notching a trio of takedowns against Carbondale’s Kyla Ford, who Atkinson held scoreless until very late in the third period.
“My mindset has been a big factor,” Atkinson said. “I keep reminding myself of what my goal is for this season and that goal is to be a finalist at the state tournament. I felt like I was wrestling hard and I got to some good positions that I felt comfortable in. I took advantage of the other person’s mistakes and if they took a bad shot, I took advantage and scored off of it.”
Macias brought home the championship at 135 pounds, finishing 5-0 in a bracket of six wrestlers with all five victories coming via fall. Macias beat a quintet of opponents including Morris wrestler Dulce Xique as well as Mattoon’s Geonna Brunson, Litchfield’s Charlie Bono, Morris wrestler Tessa Neikirk and Urbana’s Tamya Terry. Macias, who won four matches in the first period, overcame an 8-2 deficit with a reversal-to-fall combination in her match with Bono.
“I started doubting myself at first, but once I won those first three matches, I knew that I could actually do it because I’m a strong woman,” Macias said. “I kept moving and I didn’t stop so I could get on my feet. If I was taken down, I kept moving to get myself away from my opponents. I thought my takedowns were good and they were better than my last couple of meets.”