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Introducing the 2023-24 Daily Southtown Wrestling All-Area Team

steve millar, chicago tribune
·4 min read

Individuals from juggernaut programs Mount Carmel, Marist and Joliet Catholic lead first team selections from the all-area team.

Boys First Team

Donavon Allen, Marist, junior, 138 pounds: Capped breakthrough season with third-place finish at state. Finished with 35-7 record.

Rylan Breen, Mount Carmel, senior, 190: Earned third state medal with highest finish, taking third. Went 33-10. Helped Caravan win second dual team state championship in three seasons.

Will Denny, Marist, junior, 150: North Carolina State recruit beat Barrington’s Rhenzo Augusto by 15-7 major decision for his first state title. Ended up 42-4.

Eddie Enright, Mount Carmel, senior, 157: Northwestern recruit became two-time state runner-up. Had the pin that clinched the Caravan’s dual team state championship. Finished 43-4.

Ricky Ericksen, Marist, junior, 175: Made surprise run to a state runner-up finish. Closed with a 31-11 record.

Michael Esteban, Marist, junior, 126: Capped great postseason run with state runner-up finish. Nearly half his losses came to state champion Seth Mendoza of Mount Carmel. Ended up 35-9.

Jason Hampton, Joliet Catholic, sophomore, 120: State runner-up helped Hilltoppers reach state for the third straight season. Finished with 34-16 record.

Rocco Hayes, Sandburg, junior, 106: Virginia recruit finished third at state for the second straight season. Had the most wins in the Southland, going 49-2.

Josue Hernandez, De La Salle, senior, 175: Closed high school career with third-place finish in Class 1A. Finished with a 32-7 record.

Jack Hogan, St. Rita, sophomore, 106: Finished third in Class 2A with a record of 38-6.

Dillan Johnson, Joliet Catholic, senior, 285: Wisconsin recruit was dominant, turning into a four-time state champion. Finished 41-1 this season for career record of 145-1.

Colin Kelly, Mount Carmel, senior, 175: Made it back to top of podium after winning state as sophomore and taking second last season. Wisconsin recruit won second state title, going 47-1.

Sean Larkin, St. Rita, senior, 144: Shook off early season injury to finish 22-2 and win his first state championship in Class 2A, beating downstate Washington’s Peyton Cox 9-7.

Jeremiah Lawrence, De La Salle, sophomore, 106: Finished third in Class 1A, going 27-5.

Seth Mendoza, Mount Carmel, junior, 126: Missouri recruit won his third straight state championship and finished 46-2. Undefeated against in-state competition during his career.

Justin Wardlow, Lockport, sophomore, 138: Finished as state runner-up for second straight season after a dramatic overtime win over Marist’s Donavon Allen in the semifinals. Went 42-7.

Girls First Team

Emma Akpan, Andrew co-op, junior, 190: Earned first state medal with fourth-place finish, going 34-8.

Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way West, sophomore, 105: Became first state medalist in program history with fifth-place finish. Went 20-7.

Gracie Guarino, Lincoln-Way Central, senior, 115: Followed two runner-up finishes with a third-place showing, going 27-1. Only loss came to three-time state champ Gabby Gomez in semifinals.

Claudia Heeney, Lockport, sophomore, 130: After finishing second as freshman, won first state championship. Finished 21-1 and led Porters to runner-up team trophy.

Alyssa Keane, Andrew co-op, junior, 140: Piled up 32-4 record, with two losses coming at state.

Keyhanna Phillips, Thornton, senior, 170: Sectional champion won pair of matches at state and finished 14-2.

Morgan Turner, Lockport, sophomore, 110: Returned from shoulder injury to win state championship with perfect 11-0 record.

Jocelyn Williams, Homewood-Flossmoor, senior, 235: Capped successful high school career with two wins at state. Finished 20-5.

Honorable Mention

Tommy Banas, Providence, freshman, 126; James Bennett, Brother Rice, senior, 132; Averi Colella, Lockport, junior, 105; Max Corral, Joliet Catholic, senior, 165; Dan Costello, Brother Rice, freshman, 175; Max Cumbee, Joliet Catholic, freshman, 113; Sophia Figueroa, Andrew co-op, junior, 115; Luke Hamiti, Joliet Catholic, sophomore, 157; Ryan Hinger, Sandburg, junior, 138; Grace Laird, Joliet Catholic, junior, 120; David McCarthy, De La Salle, junior, 285; Jermia Moore, T.F. South, sophomore, 135; Noah O’Connor, Lemont, senior, 150; Ini Odumosu, Homewood-Flossmoor, senior, 190; Quincy Onyiaorah, T.F. South, junior, 130; Alex Pasquale, Lemont, senior, 285; Austin Perez, Oak Forest, sophomore, 138; Damian Resendez, Mount Carmel, senior, 138; Nico Ronchetti, Joliet Catholic, junior, 190; Alex Sebek, Oak Forest, sophomore, 113; Max Siegel, Andrew, senior, 126; Luke Siwinski, Lincoln-Way West, junior, 138; Evan Stanley, Mount Carmel, freshman, 132; Justin Williamson, Mount Carmel, freshman, 113; Jalah Wilson, Thornton, junior, 130.