Boys wrestling: Scouting the 2025-26 DuPage County and Fox Valley season
Ending yet another wrestling campaign by claiming plenty of silverware in both individual and team events, Marmion Academy, IC Catholic Prep and Montini Catholic are all well stocked in advance of what each club hopes to be a sensational 2025-2026 season.
Marmion Academy earned its first 3A team state title when it overwhelmed a trio of opponents last March in Bloomington, while IC Catholic Prep did the same in 2A.
On its way to lifting the biggest trophy ever in program history, Danny Alcover's Knights defeated aforementioned Montini 29-27 in a state dual-team semifinal to set the stage for their memorable finish.
This trio of teams have well known quality to the masses, witnessed by the 25 returning state qualifiers — 19 of which pocketed state medals.
The Knights enter the new season as the No. 1 in 2A with a state high 12 in the Top 10, beginning with reigning state champions Max Cumbee (132) and Brody Kelly at 175.
Senior Sam Murante joins his teammates as the No. 1 man at 126, while the addition of two-time state qualifier and York transfer Frank Nitti adds even more firepower to the Knights lineup.
The Marmion Academy Cadets stand atop the polls in 3A, just ahead of Montini, who move up from 2A, and Honenagah (27-4-0) who took second to the Cadets a year ago, and are back with power-packed lineups themselves.
The Cadets (21-2-0) lost three starters, but with the addition of a couple of Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state champions, the reigning dual-team state champs don’t appear to have any glaring holes in their lineup.
"The tightness and bonds of these young men with each other, and our staff, is our team strength, and all we will continue to do is to keep getting better in all aspects our faith lives, academics, and the sport of wrestling," said coach Anthony Cirrincione.
After leading Montini to an eighth state football championship in school history last weekend in Normal in the Class 4A state final over Rochester, Montini wrestling coach Mike Bukovsky will hand over the head coaching chores to his assistant Sal Annoreno. Annoreno became the first and only state champion at Bartlett in 2012 at 132 pounds.
The Broncos coaching duo had hoped to lift their 17th state championship wrestling trophy last season before the heartbreaking 29-27 loss in the 2A dual-team state semifinal to IC Catholic dashed those dreams.
The Broncos would go on to claim their 22nd state trophy with their third-place finish.
"Our biggest challenge this year will be competing in 3A. But with the talent we have back, and our always tough tournament schedule, we should be just fine," said junior Allan Woo.
Woo (53-5), who earned his second consecutive state title last season, is surrounded by a marvelous group of talent led by 2025 state champion Kameron Luif (54-4), five other state medal winners, and nine state qualifiers.
"I think we're all super excited for the season (and) to prove we belong in 3A, and for me, I feel like I am so much better mentally and physically than last year," said Woo, an Illinois Freestyle champion during the off-season who will go at 120 this winter.
The Broncos begin the new season as the No. 2 team behind Marmion Academy and just ahead of Marist, Mt. Carmel, and Joliet Catholic Academy.
Gone are the swashbuckling days of a St. Charles East lineup that featured so many national and state ranked wrestlers. Several of those went on to garner state titles, including four-time champ Ben Davino, now starring at Ohio State.
The Saints, who provided an endless supply of state champions, state medalists, league and regional winners, as well as a 3A dual-team state crown in 2023, find themselves in an uncharacteristic spot at No. 17 in preseason polls.
"We obviously do not have the depth of superstars that we've had in the past, so we'll definitely have plenty of new faces in our lineup, but I am excited to see those guys step up," said coach Jason Potter.
The Saints still have their two-time state champ and state runner-up Dominic Munaretto (51-1) No. 1 at 120, top five in the nation, and on his way to join Davino at Ohio State next fall.
"We have six returning state qualifiers back, others who stepped in who had limited varsity experience, and three new faces who will go through the usual period of adjustment,“ Potter said. ”All for which should help prepare us for the final few weeks of the season."
The Saints will contend for another DuKane Conference crown against its long-time rival Glenbard North, and the likes of Batavia, Lake Park, Wheaton North and others.
There are several returning state qualifiers on these clubs, including Vannak Khiev (Glenbard North, 126, 40-8), Nick Merola (Lake Park, 144, 27-11), and Wheaton North’s Rocco Macellaio (138, 29-18) and Ryan Rosch (150, 33-8).
No. 10 West Aurora (17-3-0) is led by No. 1 Dayne Serio (175) while No. 12 Naperville North, undefeated in the DVC at 5-0, will lean on the state ranked No. 7 Tavkif Ibragimov (190). At crosstown rival Naperville Central, the DVC champion duo of No. 7 Jacob Cochran (132) and Paul Peradotti at 190 are the ones to watch.
"We're excited to compete in the always tough DVC, and we're looking to shore up our schedule to help better prepare ourselves for the IHSA sectional series," said North coach Tom Champion.
Serio is joined by a trio of state-ranked teammates: Marcus Quintana (42-10) Evan Matkovich (43-8) and Alfonso Aguilar (38-13) at 285, all key figures in the Blackhawks’ run to the UEC title.
Glenbard West sophomore Aidan Ortega (38-8) would enjoy a marvelous rookie season for the Hilltoppers with a trip downstate, where he just missed out earning a state medal.
Ortega, No. 5 at 106 pounds, earned All-American honors from his seventh-place finish in freestyle competition at Fargo, North Dakota.
The Hilltoppers, along with Addison Trail, Downers Grove North, and Downers Grove South have plenty of wrestlers to keep an eye on.
Addison Trail sophomore Niko Duarte (37-8) earned the 20th state medal for the Blazer program with his fourth-place finish at state.
Duarte enters the season at No. 7 at 113, while No. 4 Noah Greene (Downers Grove South, 155) sits at No. 4.
Downers Grove North senior Caden Chiarelli claimed the No. 9 spot at 144 for coach Chris McGrath, who lost seven 30-match winners from his 20-4-0 club.
The Huntley Red Raiders dominated the Fox Valley Conference with their seventh undefeated season in the last nine years on the way to a sparkling 22-3 overall record.
Senior Colin Abordo (41-14) is No. 6 at 120 pounds after his sixth-place finish at state a year ago, while teammate Radic Dvorak's brilliant season netted the Red Raiders a fourth place state medal, and the No. 4 spot at 165 pounds.
Dvorak has was All-American at Freestyle and Greco nationals in Fargo to go along with his sensational 45-5 record last season.
"(My) improvement from freshman year to last season as a sophomore has been the mental and physical part of the sport," said Dvorak, who won 36 in his rookie season under coach B.J. Bertelsmann.
The affable junior, No. 4 in the state at 165, fell one victory short of reaching the 157-pound state final last season, eventually earning that fourth place medal.
"You never satisfied at this level with anything but finishing first and with no losses on the season, that's the goal this year. (It's) the way it has to be for me," said Dvorak.
"(I) feel the guys ahead of me in the state rankings, Liam Kelly, Royce Lopez, Rocco (Cassioppi) are all very talented, which will make for some great matches eventually, but I also know I can compete with all three."
FVC rival Dundee-Crown will look to get senior Teigen Moreno (42-7) through to state after two sectional appearances.
Batavia is now in Class 2A, and anointed the No. 9 spot in the polls with sophomore Kai Enos (39-10, 120) its highest rated at No. 3 following his first trip downstate.
"We're excited to get back on the mat in advance of this new season, and we've carried a lot of momentum from a 2024-2025 season that showed a great deal of improvement as the season progressed," said coach Seth Winkle.
"We return quite of bit of postseason experience in the form of (Kai) Enos, and three returning sectional blood-rounders: Kyle Pasco, Elias Chaney, and Colin Peyton, and three other sectional qualifiers," said Winkle, who takes over for coaching legend Tom Arlis after serving as his assistant.
Around the area in Class 2A are several talented state ranked wrestlers who are all capable of finding their way onto the podium in late February in Champaign.
No. 8 Nathan Randle (150, 43-3, two-time state qualifier) leads a club that has gone from just 20 in its program to 60 under Trevor Jauch, now in his second season in charge at Crystal Lake South.
Cary-Grove senior, No. 8 Hunter Lenz, a 2024 state qualifier, is the lone man back from a terrific state qualifying trio with Noah Pechora and Lucas Burton, who were the heart and soul of the Trojans program for three seasons.
Junior Eduardo Vences (32-17) earned his first trip downstate in 2025, and now is the No. 9 rated 120-pounder for Burlington Central.
In Class 1A, St. Francis senior heavyweight Jaylen Torres, twice a state medal winner taking second in 2024 and third last season, looks to cap a marvelous career, and prove his No. 1 spot in the state polls.
The Spartans star and two-time all-state football player was 33-3 a year ago and also helped lead his football team to a berth in the 5A state final against Providence.
At nearby Wheaton Academy, senior Lincoln Hoger (150, 45-9) and Tyler Jones (175, 38-7) are the Nos. 4 and 7 rated in their weight class, with Hoger a two-time 1A state qualifier.