After Giardini Invite, here's what we've learned so far about Rockford-area wrestlers

It's early on in the season, and the first big wrestling tournament of the year held in the Rockford area taught us a few things.

And don't worry, there are plenty more to come.

More: Wrestling Hononegah's surge, and lots of NIC-10 changes lead area wrestling storylines for 2023-24

The 24-team Rockford East Giardini Invitational was held on Saturday with five ranked teams and dozens of ranked wrestlers. And while it wasn't one of the five area teams that took the team title, there were four individuals that won weight-class championships, three from Rochelle. And there was plenty to take out of an important early-season tourney.

"This really was the first chance to see where you're at. There were some good teams and some good individual wrestlers here this year," East head coach Gene Lee said. "It was just good to see what the guys had early on, and good to see what we all need to work on"

With some big duals and some even bigger tournaments on the horizon, here is what we learned from the Giardini invite as the season really picks up speed:

Rochelle is solid, again

The Hubs of Rochelle, after last year's school-record 28 dual victories and an Interstate 8 Conference title, and with almost the entire lineup back this year, battled Geneseo all day Saturday for the Giardini Invite team title, finally bowing out late and taking second by just 9 1/2 points.

But Rochelle earned three firsts, a second, three thirds and a fourth in the tourney, and the Hubs were ranked ninth in the latest Illinois Matmen Class 2A team rankings by Rob Sherrill. They have already shown they are a force to be reckoned with, once again, in 2A.

Hubs that earned Giardini Invite titles were: Xavier Villalobos (7-0 at 126), Kaiden Morris (8-0 at 215), and Brock Metzger (8-0 at 190), who was also recently named the Interstate 8/Kishwaukee River Blue Division's Defensive Player of the Year in football. Also for Rochelle, Grant Gensler (7-1) took second at 165; Freddie Hernandez (6-2) placed third at 106; Tommy Tourdot (8-1) took third at 120; and Brenden Voight (7-2) placed third at 144.

E-Rabs have chemistry, and talent

East came out of the tourney with a seventh-place finish, but the E-Rabs were just seven points out of fifth place in the final stacked-tourney standings. And seven E-Rabs placed in the top eight in their weight class.

Junior Donald Cannon rolled all the way to the 138-pound title and is now 5-0 this season, while his sophomore brother Malachi Cannon lost his first match of the tourney, but turned around and won six in a row to place third at 175.

"This team has really gelled right away this season; I can't remember having a team with this kind of chemistry," Lee said. "The kids are just really supportive of each other, and that's going to help later in the season."

Senior heavyweight Lee Smith placed second, losing only to the Class 2A No. 1-ranked wrestler from Crystal Lake Central, Andy Burburija, 3-0 in the final. And Joe Young took fourth at 120, but earned three pins.

Things are looking up for the E-Rabs early on this season.

Big matches, tourneys are coming soon

The NIC-10 season is getting underway, and it really kicks in with one of the biggest matchups of the season when Hononegah, ranked 10th as a team in Class 3A, and heaped with high expectations, heads to Belvidere for a dual on Thursday. Belvidere won the last two NIC-10 team titles.

One of the biggest and most prestigious tourneys in all of the midwest is right around the corner as well. The Dvorak Invitational, held at Harlem, will be on Dec. 16-17 this year. Every year there are top-ranked wrestlers and teams from Illinois, as well as from several other states, involved in this one.

There will also be a big tourney going on at Hinsdale Central on Dec. 15-16 for some of the other wrestling programs from around the area. Only Harlem, Hononegah, Freeport and Dakota have been invited to the Dvorak in recent history.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Here's what the Giardini Invite taught us about the wrestling season