Damari Reed, seen here at a tournament in January, was one of two Shepard wrestlers to qualify for the 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional. Reed was the 152-pound champion at the Marist Regional on Feb. 5. Teammate Gabe Smith placed 2nd at 195. Photo by Jason Maholy
Area wrestlers advance to sectionals
From Staff Reports
The following wrestlers have qualified for sectional competition after placing in the top three at their respective regional tournaments.
(Name, class, finish at regional)
Class 3A Marist Regional
Marist
George Marinopoulos, Fr, 2nd at 106
Michael Esteban, Fr, 1st at 113
Will Denny, Fr, 2nd at 120
Jesse Herrera, Jr, 1st at 126
Matthew Cornfield, So, 2nd at 132
Owen Dunlap, Sr, 1st at 138
Rickey Ericksen, Fr, 1st at 145
Andrew Dado, Jr, 2nd at 152
Tommy Boland, Sr, 1st at 160
Jake Liberatore, Jr, 1st at 170
Conor Phelan, So, 1st at 182
Pete Marinopoulos, Jr, 1st at 195
Ghee Rachal, Sr, 1st at 220
Michael Maloney, So, 3rd at 285
Sandburg’s Kevin Zimmer, seen here at a tournament in January, placed first at 285 pounds at the Class 3A Marist Regional to remain unbeaten and advance to the Hinsdale Central Sectional. Zimmer is one of 10 Eagles who will compete at the sectional. Photo by Jason Maholy
Sandburg
Rocco Hayes, Fr, 1st at 106
Ryan Hinger, Fr, 2nd at 113
Sammie Hayes, Sr, 1st at 120
Kasey Kolke, Sr, 2nd at 126
Zac Ritter, So, 3rd at 132
Nick Edelen, Sr, 3rd at 138
John Thompson, Jr, 3rd at 160
George Pavlenko, Sr, 2nd at 170
Max Pitura, Jr, 2nd at 182
Yazan Arafeh, Sr, 2nd at 220
Kevin Zimmer, Sr, 1st at 285
Shepard
Damari Reed, Sr, 1st at 152
Gabe Smith, Sr, 2nd at 195
Stagg
Mohammed Ahmed, Sr, 2nd at 138
Durango Valles, Fr, 3rd at 145
Luke Barham, So, 3rd at 152
Mark Jones, Sr, 3rd at 182
Class 3A Mt. Carmel Regional
Mt. Carmel
Seth Mendoza, Fr, 1st at 106
Damian Resendez, So, 1st at 113
Jairo Acuna, Fr, 1st at 120
Sergio Lemley, Jr, 1st at 126
Eddie Enright, So, 1st at 132
Nam Doan, Jr, 1st at 138
Marcus Milianti, Sr, 1st at 152
Colin Kelley, So, 1st at 160
Owen Jacobson, Sr, 2nd at 170
Rylan Breen, So, 1st at 182
Elliot Lewis, Sr, 1st at 195
John McKeon, Sr, 1st at 220
Ryan Boersma, Sr, 1st at 285
Oak Lawn
Eduardo Nunez, So, 2nd at 120
Hunter Gray, Jr, 2nd at 152
Rakan Eid, Jr, 2nd at 160
Hani Odeh, Jr, 1st at 170
Evan Zambrano, Sr, 2nd at 195
Class 2A St. Rita Regional
Brother Rice
Dan Tait, Fr, 3rd at 106
Bobby Conway, Fr, 1st at 120
James Bennett, So, 2nd at 126
Jack O’Connor, Fr, 2nd at 132
Al Perez, Sr, 1st at 138
Connor Nelligan, Sr, 2nd at 145
Charles Connolly, Jr, 1st at 152
Nate Chirillo, Sr, 1st at 160
Tommy Bennett, Sr, 1st at 170
Colin Ashley, Sr, 2nd at 182
Gabino Perez, Fr, 1st at 195
Jimmy Hogan, Sr, 3rd at 220
Pat Galeher, Jr, 2nd at 285
Evergreen Park
Johan Bonilla, Fr, 1st at 106
Axel Rubalcava, Jr, 3rd at 126
Aseal Rubalcava, Jr, 2nd at 160
Mike Torres, Sr, 2nd at 170
James Williams, Sr, 1st at 182
Connor Rinearson, Sr, 2nd at 195
Eduardo Antunez, So, 1st at 220
Richards
Luke Kawa, Jr, 3rd at 132
Dom Paul, So, 3rd at 138
Xavier Lara, Jr, 3rd at 145
Mike Taheny, Fr, 2nd at 152
Maen Jillani, Fr, 3rd at 160
Nate Conway, Sr, 3rd at 182
Adnan Abuziir, Jr, 2nd at 220
St. Rita
Austin Dangles, Jr, 1st at 113
Donovan Allen, Fr, 2nd at 120
Griffin Duffin, Sr, 1st at 126
Sean Larkin, So, 1st at 132
Connor Pasch, Fr, 2nd at 138
Isaac Gaytan-Reilly, Sr, 1st at 145
Jon Fulgencio, Jr, 3rd at 170
Juan Fulgencio, Sr, 3rd at 285
Local News
Willow Springs hires Grace as village administrator
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Citing his experience in Lyons, Willow Springs Mayor Melissa Neddermeyer said Ryan Grace was the best of five finalists interviewed for the job of village administrator. Grace, 38, had been public works director in Lyons the past four years, working on a wide range of village issues and events in…
Body of missing Forest View woman found
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The search for 20-year-old Charisma Ehresman of Forest View is over. The body of the young woman was found Friday evening in her vehicle in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood, on the city’s west side, which borders Oak Park. The car had apparently been there for several days. The Cook County…
Heritage Middle School cheer team takes first
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Congratulations are in order for the Heritage Middle School Cheer Team. The team competed for the first time on Saturday, January 15, at Old Quarry Middle School in Lemont and took first place. It was a huge accomplishment for the team and Summit School District 104 is very proud of…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg bowls ’em over at state; Marist cheerleaders win sectional
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Is there a state trophy coming for the Sandburg boys bowling team in the future? With this unpredictable sport, that’s hard to predict. But after a fourth-place finish in the IHSA state tournament, held Jan. 28-29 at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon, the needle is pointing up. The…
Intense dance performance nets Evergreen Park sixth place at state finals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Actual competitive dancing returned to the state level this year and Evergreen Park’s dancers couldn’t be happier. The Mustangs are on the rise, and the team enjoyed its highest state finish by placing sixth in Class 1A in the IHSA state meet held Jan. 28-29 at Grossinger Motors…
Lyons rally falls short against unbeaten Glenbard West
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Correspondent The third time was not the charm. Lyons, which had lost games by 37 and 32 points to Glenbard West earlier this season, headed into their third matchup of the season hoping to break through against the unbeaten Hilltoppers. With a frenzied, near-capacity home crowd behind them, the Lions…
GOP needs this centrist with common sense
Spread the loveBy Ray Hanania Four years ago, Sean Morrison barely won re-election over an unknown Democrat, by only 1,377 votes of 121,767 votes cast. I supported Morrison, believing his promise to be a “commonsense centrist” who would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Liz Gorman, and not join the radical far right. Gorman,…
Not your grandfather’s petition drive
Spread the loveBy Rich Miller I’ve been fascinated by election petition-gathering season this year because of the adjusted primary schedule, the crazy Omicron variant, and the prevailing fear of crime, not to mention the awful weather. Petition season was always during the fall. But because the primary was moved to June 28, petition circulators now…
Cool customers: Chicago Christian snaps losing streak with tight win over Shepard
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Chicago Christian’s players acted cool after the game. No yelling. No jumping around. No histrionics. It was a subdued celebration after a 44-40 road victory over Shepard on Jan. 26 in the Battle of Palos Heights. The Knights acted like they had been there before, even though the…
Setting the standard: Sandburg seniors show underclassmen how it’s done
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Erin O’Connor has a nose for the ball. The determination of O’Connor was demonstrated on one play midway through the second quarter in Sandburg’s 46-45 win over Lockport on Jan. 27. The Eagles had just missed a shot and the ball looked to be going out of bounds. But…
Neighbors
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations. That…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Illinoisans can now get documents notarized online
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state’s office. This process is one of the latest initiatives of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ ongoing effort to modernize the office and its services. Notaries…