DEKALB • DeKalb will host the 25th Don Flavin Dual Team Invitational that has become the dual team tournament of all dual team tournaments in Illinois. It is better than the Dual Team State Championships from any perspective as there are no classifications and, more oft than not, the heaviest hitters in Illinois come out to wrestle in this one because, as this is the midpoint of the season, it shows where a team needs to improve.
This preview will look at the first of two eight-team brackets in the afternoon session that begins at 3:00 p.m. this Friday. Each team will wrestle three duals throughout their bracket. And, wherever they place in their bracket, that will determine which pool they compete in come Saturday. All consolation teams will wrestle in the morning session at 9:00 a.m., with the championship round team wrestling in the afternoon session at 3:00 p.m.
Here is a look at bracket number three.
Wayne Miller Bracket
Wayne Miller wrestled out of Thorton High School for two Hall of Fame coaches in Jack Robinson and Ted Czech. After high school, he wrestled at the University of Michigan where he was a team captain and All-American.
After college, Miller began his coaching career. He started at Northern Illinois University, followed by two years at DeKalb Junior High. He would spend 13 years at DeKalb High School where he would compile a 175-20 record, and put together a 66-consecutive dual meet win streak.
His teams also won ten Upstate Eight Conference championships, 13 District titles, one Sectional Championship and six runner-up finishes, and was in the state’s Top Ten teams in eight of those 13 years—his best finish was placing third.
Individually, Miller coached 25 state qualifiers, 13 state medalists, and three state champions. He was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1981.
In this bracket, here are the seeds and state rankings for each dual:
01 • Joliet Catholic Academy (#6, 3A)
08 • Pewaukee, WI (NR, D1)
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05 • Luxemburg-Casco, WI (#10, D1)
04 • Lincoln-Way East (#17, 3A)
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03 • Lockport (#10, 3A)
06 • Chatham-Glenwood (#9, 2A)
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07 • Oswego (HM, 3A)
02 • IC Catholic Prep (#3, 2A)
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Joliet Catholic Academy (#6, 3A) / versus / Pewaukee, WI (NR, D1)
Joliet catholic Academy should get off to a strong start in this year’s Flavin as they take on Pewaukee, WI. JCA currently has eight Top Ten ranked individuals in their lineup, in addition to three Honorable Mentions. Where JCA will have an advantage is that they will have to come in knowing very little about their opponents, which is great when a program is simply looking to go out, compete, and wrestle hard. In this, there are no preconceptions, nor are there previous matchups. Look for JCA to come out against some fresh competition and just wrestle free and strong and represent Illinois wrestling throughout the upper half of the bracket.
As for Pewaukee, Wi, their top wrestler, Caleb Cady, will step onto the mat at 165 pounds and his matchup with Hamiti should be the showcase bout in this one. This is not to discredit the lineup, but JCA comes in stronger and should work past Pewaukee with relative ease.
Illinois Matmen and Wisconsin ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Joliet Catholic Academy
106 • Kane Robles (#10, 3A)
113 • Lukas Foster (#6, 3A)
120 • Maddux Tindal (#4, 3A)
126 • Jason Hampton (#4, 3A)
132 • Aurelio Munez (HM, 3A)
144 • Elias Gonzalez (HM, 3A)
150 • Nolan Vogel (#5, 3A)
157 • Vine Tindal (HM, 3A)
165 • Luke Hamiti (#5, 3A)
190 • Nicholas Ronchetti (#2, 3A)
215 • Charles Walker (#4, 3A)
Pewaukee, WI
165 • Caleb Cady (#2, D1)
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Lincoln-Way East (#17, 3A) / versus / Luxemburg, WI (#10, D1)
Lincoln-Way East has jumped into this season with some very strong performances, and surely are they looking to make some more noise this weekend at The Flavin. With five wrestlers ranked in the Top Ten, and three Honorable Mention wrestlers, Lincoln-Way East has eight tough wrestlers who can keep almost any dual in their favor.
Luxemburg, WI, comes in with four top-ranked wrestlers at 120, 144, 165, and number one ranked Carson Neubert at 132. The matchups in this one with the team points earned will determine the advancement.
Illinois Matmen and Wisconsin ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Lincoln-Way East
138 • Tyson Zvonar (#9, 3A)
144 • Kaidreaus Richardson (#9, 3A)
150 • Brayden Mortell (HM, 3A)
157 • Alex Lizak (HM, 3A)
175 • Jackson Zaeske (#5, 3A)
190 • Jimmy Talley (#7, 3A)
190 • Colton Zvonar (#9, 3A)
285 • Gage LaDere (HM, 3A)
Luxemburg, WI
120 • Carson Blohowiak (#9, D1)
132 • Carson Neubert (#1, D1)
144 • Blakelee Bastien (#4, D1)
165 • Logan Ellwanger (#9, D1)
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Lockport (#10, 3A) / versus / Chatham-Glenwood (#9, 2A)
These are two teams that have done a great deal of winning, so look for a very prideful matchup that showcases two programs who know how to win individual and dual matchups. This one just may come down to the final matches of the dual.
Lockport is a Top Ten team in 3A with three outstanding wrestlers showcased in the rankings. Glenwood has its share of ranked wrestlers as well, thus making this dual worth watching, especially as the dual is coming to a close and the bonus points and team points possibly become the determining factor.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
Lockport
126 • Isaac Zimmerman (HM, 3A)
132 • Liam Zimmerman (#4, 3A)
150 • Justin Wardlow (#1, 3A)
157 • Jaedon Calderon (#8, 3A)
215 • Payton Roberson (HM, 3A)
Chatham-Glenwood
126 • Tyler Clarke (#10, 2A)
165 • Maizon Milestone (HM, 2A)
175 • Maximus Wiezorek (#2, 2A)
175 • Elijah Smith (#10, 2A)
285 • Cody Moss (#4, 2A)
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IC Catholic Prep (#3, 2A) / versus / Oswego (HM, 3A)
IC Catholic Prep will have some solid matchups as they should work past Oswego in the opening round. ICCP is coming off a Dvorak team title, but The Flavin will put their dual team ability to the test with being able to score the right type of bonus points and keep losses close.
In the bottom half of this bracket, ICCP is the strongest team, and they should come out of it and be in the finals, but there will be some tests along the way more in how matches are approached. In the end, this bracket should be a JCA and ICCP championship, and this is where the matchups and strategies should be at their best.
Oswego, on the other hand, will be able to show their strengths better on the backside of the bracket, and this is where they will looking to work into their dual matchups and strategies and try to wrestle to the highest possible place.
Illinois Matmen ranked wrestlers in the dual:
IC Catholic Prep
106 • Dominic Pasquale (#7, 2A)
120 • Kannon Judycki (#5, 2A)
126 • Max Cumbee (#4, 2A)
132 • Deven Casey (#1, 2A)
138 • Jacob Alvarez (#8, 2A)
144 • Aiden Arnett (#3, 2A)
144 • Joey Pontrelli (HM, 2A)
165 • Nathan Brown (HM, 2A)
175 • Brody Kelly (#1, 2A)
190 • Isaac Barrientos (#9, 2A)
215 • Foley Calcagno (#3, 2A)
285 • Anthony Sebastian (#7, 2A)
Oswego
126 • Aiden Ortiz (HM, 3A)
144 • Brayden Swanson (#6, 3A)
150 • Dillon Griffin (HM, 3A)
157 • Ethan Essick (HM, 3A)
• TC LIFONTI / LEAD WRITER FOR ILLINOIS MATMEN / tclifonti.com
