Wrestling notes: Round Lake’s Cole, Libertyville’s big men among those to watch at Lake invite

After bursting onto the scene a year ago in the land of the heavyweight giants, Round Lake junior Will Cole has taken an extra large step forward this season to establish himself as one of the top men in the state at 285 pounds.

Smith currently finds himself at No. 5 in the most recent state poll, with a trio of major titles on his resume, and a pin over the two-time state medal winner from Hinsdale Central Marko Ivanisevic, who is No. 3 in the state.

"I honestly did not know that (Ivanisevic) was twice a fifth place state medal winner beforehand, but it turned out to be a big win for me," admitted Cole, 31-11 a year ago, and a sparkling 30-1 this season, with his lone loss coming in overtime to No. 4 Wyatt Schmitt (Joliet West) in the finals at the 35th Dvorak Invite just before the holiday break.

"(Will) might have been a little nervous being on the big stage at the Dvorak, then against Ivanisevic, but he has continually shown just how far he's come this year because of all the work he's done in the off-season (and) having a bitter taste in his mouth from the way things went at state last year," said Round Lake coach Ken Filas.

"I went down (there) looking to come home with a state medal, and instead, I was injured in my second round match from an arm bar, and overhook that led to me suffering a fractured elbow," recounts Cole. "I was obviously very excited to make it to state, but did not enjoy the experience because of the injury.

"I had two to three moves last year, and became too predictable. So with the help of my coaches, I've added a lot to my attack, adjusted my technique, and have a lot more trust and belief in myself."

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Cole, who plays football on both sides of the line, is also involved in the Chicago Bears Play 60.

"It's a kids camp, and something that allows me to be a part of the youth community," says Cole.

"We're trying to change the culture here in the Round Lake room, and Will is a big part of it all because he's a great leader and terrific young man," said Filas.

While Cole will make his presence felt at the Lake County invite in two weeks, it's clear that Warren and Libertyville are the teams to beat when the NSC and NLCC come together at host Grant High School.

Warren has a wonderfully deep lineup, led by the No. 2 rated Caleb Noble (106, 26-2) and teammate Aaron Stewart (157). also 26-2 overall.

Few, if any, teams in the area can match the upper-weight power that Libertyville has.

Senior Luke Berthold (23-5) inspires at the bottom half of the lineup, while Matt Kubas (175, 26-2), Caleb Baczek (190, 23-4) and Owen McGrory (215, 29-2) deliver in a big way on the other side of the lineup.

There are several from the area that begin the week as the No. 1 rated in their weight class aside from the aforementioned Stewart.

Grayslake Central freshman Vince DeMarco (23-4) took over the top spot at 106 following his 4-1 decision over Gavin Rockey (Wauconda, 22-6) who was No. 1 prior to this result.

Matty Jens (21-1) joins his young teammate DeMarco on top of the 2A field at 175 as he soon begins his drive for a second consecutive state title.

Maine South senior Teddy Flores, fourth a year ago at state, continues to be the No. 1 man at 120 as does Prospect sophomore Jaxson Penovich (32-3) at 190.

Reigning MSL champion Hersey (8-3-0) would go 4-2 at the Don Flavin after defeating No. 6 Lincoln-Way West (15-3-0) and No. 15 York (16-8) in pool play, and dropped hard-fought contests with No. 8 Sandburg (26-22) and No. 9 DeKalb (34-33) to let the rest of the league it's ready to defend the MSL title.

The Huskies, No. 8 in the state, have five in the top 10 across the 14 weight divisions, and have five returning state qualifiers who combine for nearly 200 victories among them.

Lest we forget to mention that Elk Grove senior Grant Madl, No. 5 in the state at 125 pounds, recently collected his 100th career victory.

Madl (27-1) earned his third major title of the season last weekend at Glenbard West, while Evan Gosz moved his overall record to a perfect 23-0 after the Fremd junior used a trio of tech-falls to win the 144 crown at Glenbard West.

Gosz, twice a third place state medalist, is fourth in the state, and a stunning 109-6 in his career thus far.

No. 3 Valeria Rodriguez (Schaumburg) dominated the field at 155 last weekend at the 2024 Conant girls tournament to run her record to 25-1 after pinning her way to her second major title of this season.

"Valeria is doing so many things really well right now — making small improvements in the room everyday, adjusting her technique, constantly asking questions, and competing extremely well in some close matches where she knew what was needed to win," said Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka.

Rodriguez, a two-time state medalist, has recorded 18 pins, and will be on hand this weekend at the 49-team field at the Hawks Invite,at host Hoffman Estates.