If you spent your Thursday watching the 3A state series, you already know the vibe. Tense. Electric. And honestly? Pretty chalky at the top. The big story from Day 1 is simple: the top dogs showed up and took care of business. Thirteen of fourteen #1 ranked wrestlers are still standing heading into the semis.
The lone exception? We'll get there. Trust me, it's a good one.
Before we dive weight by weight, here's the quick snapshot. Every #2 and #3 ranked wrestler (per the StateBound rankings) is still alive. That almost never happens. Meanwhile, 10 of 14 #4 ranked wrestlers got bounced, mostly because the bracket gods weren't kind to them in the quarterfinals. Sometimes wrestling is about matchups, and sometimes the matchups just aren't fair.
The Day 1 Awards
Fastest Pins: Jonathon Rulo did his thing in 17 seconds. Aaron Stewart wasn't far behind at 21. Blink and you missed both.
Biggest Upset: #5 Lukas Foster over #1 Bobby Ruscitti, 10-2 major decision. More on this below, because this one deserves the full story.
Best Comeback: #13 Will Konder over #6 Ethan Banda. Down 13-1. Wins by fall. Read that again. Down thirteen to one. And won. By pin.
Great Match: #2 Adante Washington over #6 Axel Rodriguez, 6-3 in sudden victory. Speed vs. craft. Beautiful wrestling.
Controversial Match: #2 Lucas Nance over #4 Colton Zvonar, 11-8 in sudden victory. This one's going to have people talking for a while.
Surprise of the Class: #13 Sam Swais out of Montini. A kid with barely any matches on his record who came within a single point of upsetting #2 ranked Cooper Murray. Wild.
Now let's get into it, weight by weight.
106
Nico Odiotti has been dominant most of the year, but Elio Gil clearly presented a matchup problem for him. His 1-0 win over #7 Gil was a chess match. Gil let Odiotti up in the second period without much fight, and that single escape point ended up being the difference. In the third, Gil chose neutral instead of bottom. If he'd taken bottom and escaped, it would've been 1-1 and headed to overtime. Instead, he went for the takedown and the outright win. Weird decision, but you have to respect it. Gil got close to scoring, but Odiotti's defense held up. One of those matches where you can feel the "what if" hanging in the air.
Michael McNamara gave everyone a heart attack early, falling behind 7-1 to #15 Luther Rajcevich before getting the fall late in the first period. Then he flipped the switch and hammered #5 Sebastian Gracia 11-0 in the quarters. That's a guy who knows how to shake off a rough start.
Semifinals:
- #1 Nico Odiotti (Loyola) vs. #3 Michael McNamara (Edwardsville)
- #2 Colton Wyller (Marmion) vs. #6 Aidan Ortega (Glenbard West)
113
Keep an eye on Colton Schultz out of Joliet Catholic. He's a freshman. And he's been running through people with back-to-back tech falls. The kind of performance where you stop and think, "Wait, how old is this kid?" Now he draws #1 Caleb Noble in the semis, which is a massive step up. But nothing he's shown so far says he doesn't belong.
Also worth noting: the Daniel Berdich and Brian Tejada match was an absolute brawl. Final score 21-15. That's not a wrestling match, that's a bar fight with a referee.
Semifinals:
- #1 Caleb Noble (Warren) vs. #6 Colton Schultz (Joliet Catholic)
- #2 Erik Klichurov (Montini) vs. #3 Michael Rundell (OPRF)
120
This has been one of the best weight classes in 3A all year, and Day 1 lived up to it. Dom Munaretto continues to look like the class of the field, cruising through two rounds without much trouble.
Freshman Brody Page is grinding his way through. Nothing pretty, nothing flashy. A 7-6 win and a 4-1 decision. But he keeps finding the W, and at state, that's all that matters.
Allen Woo held off Ray Long 7-6 in a match that had everyone on the edge of their seats. And Kaleb Pratt used a first-period takedown and suffocating defense to beat Danny Goodwin 4-2. Sometimes one takedown is enough if you're good enough defensively to make it hold up.
Semifinals:
- #1 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) vs. #5 Brody Page (Marmion)
- #2 Allen Woo (Montini) vs. #3 Kaleb Pratt (Barrington)
126: The Upset
Here it is. The big one.
#5 Lukas Foster knocked off undefeated #1 Bobby Ruscitti 10-2 in a major decision. And this wasn't just any win. Foster had lost to Ruscitti back in December at the Al Dvorak Tournament, 9-2. So he came in knowing what it felt like to get handled by this guy, and he came back better.
The thing is, the match was actually tight. Tied 1-1 midway through the third period. Then Foster and Ruscitti got into a scramble, and Foster came out of it with a takedown and nearfall. A 7-point swing, just like that. One sequence changed everything.
With the #1 gone, this bracket is wide open. Any of these four semifinalists can win it, and I genuinely have no idea who will.
Semifinals:
- #2 Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Hersey) vs. #5 Lukas Foster (Joliet Catholic)
- #3 Chazz Robinson (Homewood Flossmoor) vs. #4 Jamiel Castleberry (OPRF)
132
This one has played out exactly like the rankings said it would. No upsets. No drama. Just the best wrestlers advancing.
Jason Hampton has looked dominant, scoring at will. Nicholas Garcia, meanwhile, won 4-1 over #6 Shawn Kogan, and even though 4-1 doesn't jump off the page, anyone who follows Garcia knows that's just how he operates. The guy is a defensive wizard. The guy has incredible flexibility, and no matter how deep you are on him, he finds a way out every single time. Maddening if you're his opponent. You have to imagine they think they're about to score, and then either nothing happens, or they're on their back instead.
Semifinals:
- #1 Nicholas Garcia (Marmion) vs. #5 Maddux Tindal (Minooka)
- #2 Jason Hampton (Joliet Catholic) vs. #3 Ryan Dorn (Barrington)
138
This is one of our favorite brackets in all of 3A, and Day 1 delivered exactly what we hoped for.
The quarterfinals gave us two sudden victory finishes. Adante Washington edged Axel Rodriguez 6-3 in a match that was pure style contrast. Washington's speed and explosiveness against Rodriguez's positioning and craftiness. And here's the growth story: earlier this year at Al Dvorak, Washington dominated Rodriguez 15-4. This time? Overtime. Freshman Axel Rodriguez is getting better fast.
The other SV went to Nadeem Haleem, who beat #5 Patrick Hulne 8-5. Haleem placed 6th at state last year but missed significant time this season with injuries, including a sprained MCL in December. Nobody knew what version of Haleem would show up. Turns out it was the tough, resilient version. Now he gets #1 Zach Stewart, his biggest test yet.
Semifinals:
- #1 Zach Stewart (Marmion) vs. #8 Nadeem Haleem (Andrew)
- #2 Adante Washington (Joliet Catholic) vs. #3 Griff Powell (Lyons)
144
Has played out according to script so far, but this bracket is a perfect example of the bracket gods being unfair. The #4 ranked Ryan Richie, #6 Richardson, and #7 Jorgensen all drew #1, #2, and #3 in the quarterfinals. That's brutal. Meanwhile, Oliver Davis had bracket luck on his side, drawing #10 Colleran and #9 Vihrov on his path to the semis. But credit where it's due, he took care of business. Let's see if the semis can introduce some chaos.
Semifinals:
- #1 Vince Jasinski (Grant) vs. #3 Justin Williamson
- #2 Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) vs. #8 Oliver Davis (Brother Rice)
150
Another bracket that's played out mostly to form. The big question here isn't really who makes the finals. It's whether anyone can give Rocco Cassioppi a real match. He's the clear favorite, and so far nobody has looked like they're on his level.
Semifinals:
- #1 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah) vs. #6 Coehn Weber (Joliet West)
- #2 Donovan Rosauer (Yorkville) vs. #3 Ashton Hobson (Marmion)
157: The Comeback Weight Class
157 has been the weight class for bonus points. Through two championship rounds: 6 falls, 4 tech falls, and just 2 decisions. These guys came to finish.
And the story of the day? Will Konder. The #13 sophomore from Montini was down 13-1 to #6 Ethan Banda. Banda had him near a pin for most of the first period, then nearly closed it with a nearfall. He had multiple chances to end it. Multiple. And Konder somehow survived all of them, then pulled off a miraculous pin after an epic scramble. I don't care what sport you follow, that's one of the most incredible comebacks you'll see all year. Heartbreaking for Banda, obviously. But for Konder? The kind of moment you remember forever.
Despite the first-round chaos, the final four is exactly what the rankings predicted.
Semifinals:
- #1 Justin Wardlow (Lockport) vs. #3 David Ogunsanya (OPRF)
- #2 Ethan Sonne (Marist) vs. #4 Nolan Vogel (Joliet Catholic)
165: The Bracket of Death
Let's not sugarcoat it. This is the most talented bracket in all of Illinois wrestling. Three nationally ranked wrestlers: Liam Kelly, Bruno Cassioppi, and Royce Lopez. All in the same weight class. Good luck to everyone involved.
Kelly almost didn't get to compete after nearly being prevented from wrestling at state. (That would've blown this bracket wide open.) Instead, he's right where everyone expected, though #5 Frank Tagoe pushed him in the quarters, losing a competitive 8-5 decision.
Bruno Cassioppi joins his brother Rocco in the semifinals, giving the Cassioppi family a very good Thursday night. And we had a first-round upset with freshman Otis Davis from Brother Rice knocking off #6 Kaden Meyer in sudden victory 11-6.
The semis are perfectly set up: the top four ranked wrestlers, ready to go.
Semifinals:
- #1 Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel) vs. #3 Royce Lopez (Warren)
- #2 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah) vs. #4 Santino Tenuta (Montini)
175
Dominant doesn't really capture what the top four at 175 have done. They've outscored their opponents 108-11 combined. That's not a bracket, that's a demolition project.
The best quarterfinal was #3 Jalen Byrd handling #4 AJ Tack with a 14-point major decision. Byrd looks sharp heading into his matchup with Sendele, which should be the real test.
175 also saw #14 Julian Flores from Wheaton North pull off a first-round win over #10 Santiago Moya before running into the Sendele wall. Let's see what he can do in the blood rounds.
Semifinals:
- #1 Brody Sendele (Hononegah) vs. #3 Jalen Byrd (Lincoln Way Central)
- #2 Dayne Serio (West Aurora) vs. #5 Van Grasser (St. Patrick)
190: The Controversy
Aaron Stewart is the man at 190. Nationally ranked, and nobody has looked close to challenging him yet.
But the story here isn't Stewart. It's Nance vs. Zvonar, and it's a gut punch.
Zvonar went up 7-0 in the first period and nearly had the pin. He was in complete control. Then things got weird. A scorer's error missed an escape point for Nance in the second period. The board showed 8-4 late in the third. Nance got a takedown with 14 seconds left to make it 8-7. Match over. Zvonar wins. Except... after the refs conferred, that missing escape point popped back up. The real score was 8-8.
Sudden victory. Nance got a quick takedown. It's over.
I can't imagine what that feels like for Zvonar. You dominated a match. You were winning on the scoreboard. And then a scoring table error forces you into overtime you shouldn't have been in. Absolutely gut-wrenching.
Semifinals:
- #1 Aaron Stewart (Warren) vs. #5 Vincenzo Testa (Marmion)
- #2 Lucas Nance (Fremd) vs. #3 Ryan Rosch (Wheaton North)
215: The Sam Swais Story
Every state tournament needs a Cinderella, and Sam Swais might be it.
Here's the backstory: this sophomore from Montini barely had a record coming into the state series. His 6-2 mark was entirely from regionals and sectionals. He lost his first match at sectionals, then rattled off four straight wins to place third and qualify. Not exactly the resume that screams "state contender."
First round, he draws #7 Rocco DiCanio. Gets a late reversal, sends it to overtime, and pulls off the upset. Next round against #2 Cooper Murray, he loses 1-0. One point. Against the #2 ranked wrestler in the state. With no varsity record this year before the postseason. Whatever Swais does in the blood rounds, he's already made a statement.
Elsewhere, #15 Tyler Hvorick impressed with a 16-3 major decision, and #6 Roman Janek had a late comeback against #4 Dan Costello, getting a takedown with 40 seconds left and following up with a mat return that led to a pin. Costello was down on the mat for a while after that one. We hope he's alright.
Semifinals:
- #1 Kai Calcutt (Loyola) vs. #3 Tavfik Ibragimov (Naperville North)
- #2 Cooper Murray (St. Charles East) vs. #6 Roman Janek (Edwardsville)
285
Round 1 at heavyweight was the most competitive opening round of the day. Five decisions, including two decided by a single point and another by two. Every match felt like it could go either way.
Joseph Favia had a scare in the first round, surviving a 1-0 nail-biter against #14 Marc Tchapda. He looked a lot more like himself in the second round, getting a convincing pin over Braylon Hill-Lomax.
Jonathon Rulo had to work a full 3:07 against Ajani Williams, who came in with a solid defensive game plan, before uncorking the 17-second pin of the tournament against Pierre Nelson in round two. Nelson himself had pulled off an upset over #6 Collin Murphy, so Rulo essentially erased that Cinderella story in 17 seconds. Cold.
Despite all the close calls and near-upsets, the top four ranked wrestlers all survived. Funny how that works sometimes.
Semifinals:
- #1 Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East) vs. #4 Gavin Ericson (Montini)
- #2 Joseph Favia (Marmion) vs. #3 Aiden Hennings (Lincoln Way Central)
Looking Ahead to Day 2
Day 1 gave us one major upset, one incredible comeback, one scoring controversy, and a Cinderella story at 215. The semis are loaded across almost every weight class, and the blood rounds are going to be brutal for the guys fighting to stay alive.
If you weren't locked in on Thursday, get locked in for Friday and Saturday. These brackets are set up to deliver.