By Bobby Narang-Photos by Alexa Bordick
** Additional Photos are Available at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p326404899 **
ROCKFORD – History was made last weekend at the BMO Center.
It marked the first sanctioned Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation girls state wrestling championship.
And it was a memorable debut.
Fans packed the downtown arena, which featured four mats running at the same time for the championship matches at Senior and Novice divisions. The boys competed on two mats, while the girls were on the other two mats to account for an exciting two-hour finals.
Several girls were donning big smiles during Saturday’s finals, partly because of getting the opportunity to not prove themselves against boys’ wrestlers.
Girls Senior – 71 pounds
At nearly 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Tenli Madriles of Crystal Lake Wizards Wrestling Club made history by becoming the first official state champion. She pinned Bryn Ouimette of Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy at the 3:15 mark.
Wrestling on the orange mats, Madriles led 4-0 in the second period and closed out the match just 15 seconds into the third period. Hailing from Antioch, Madrilles said she was excited about her performance.
“It was a pretty hard match because she was really good,” Madriles said of her finals match. “I was really excited to win the match. I never made it this far. This was a great opportunity. My coach, Tony, helped me a lot. I just tried to make everybody proud. Just to make it here made me happy. I was surprised get a pin.”
Her coach, Tony Fontanetta, said Madriles is an elite wrestler.
“Tenli is a battler,” he said. “We had a lot of good boys at her weight, but she comes into practice every day and competes hard against the boys. We were happy to see her win.”
Girls Senior – 84 pounds
Shayla Garner made one of the longest trips to the state tournament. Competing for downstate Team Mascoutah Wrestling Club, Garner was awarded the victory at 84 pounds due to a forfeit.
Girls Senior – 90 pounds
Giana Wurslin, of Blue Line Training Academy, pinned Savannah Martell of Martinez Fox Valley Elite Wrestling Club in the final seconds of the second period to capture the championship at 90 pounds. She led 5-0 after the opening period, then came on strong for the rest of the match.
“It feels pretty good,” Wurslin said of her title. “It’s awesome to be here and experience this amazing place. I just pushed myself and worked really hard.”
Girls Senior – 93 pounds
Jade Hardee made a big impression on Saturday. She turned in a dominating effort, pinning Brea Balles of The Law Wrestling Club at the 0:42 mark to claim the 93-pound championship.
“I was happy with how I wrestled,” Hardee said. “It was tough, but I wrestled hard. My coaches really, really helped me.”
Girls Senior – 97 pounds
Saya Hongmoungkhoune of Alber Athletics Wrestling Club was one of the star performers in the finals. Her aggressive style and toughness won over the capacity crowd, ending by pinning Ruby Bolanos of Carbajal of Aurora Wrestling Club in the second period.
“I just tried to stay disciplined became I knew the girls were fast and tall, so I was working in with my positioning and how to set things up,” Hongmoungkhoune said. “I just tried to keep the match longer.”
Hongmoungkhouse said she’s been involved with wrestling for a big chunk of her young life. Her current plans are to attend Rockford East High School next year.
“I’ve been wrestling for about seven years,” she said. “It’s my number one sport. This was a really cool experience. I had never done a face-off. It’s always been a normal tournament. I haven’t lost all season to girls. My only losses were against boys.”
Girls Senior – 102 pounds
A strong and driven wrestler, Charlotte Nold of Beat the Streets Chicago-Oak Park was one of the standouts on Saturday. She pinned Ariana Baier of Lemont Bears Wrestling Club in the third period (4:18) to claim the 102 championship right before the end of her match.
Nold put both arms around both of her coaches to celebrate her state championship. After her victory, Nold, who also plays softball, stayed to watch the entirety of the 108 finals.
“I’ve been working really hard and my coaches really like to push people and they pushed me a lot in practices,” Nold said. “I wrestled last year at the boys (state). I didn’t do very good. This feels good to end up winning. Wrestling keeps you humble, but if you push hard enough, you can do anything. This feels amazing.”
Girls Senior – 108
Chloe Skiles of Roxana WC was one of the outstanding wrestlers at state. Her ability to move on the mat, experience and determination led her to the 108 title, defeating Baileigh Self of Collinsville Wrestling Club 4-0 in the 108 title match.
Girls Senior – 115
Demetria Griffin celebrated her state championship in style. Wrestling for Beat the Streets Chicago-Midway, Griffin walked around the ring and raised both of her arms up, earning a loud applause from the crowd. She capped her celebration by leaping into the arms of one of her coaches.
Griffin defeated Yariah Shaw, of Lionheart Intense Wrestling, via an 8-2 decision in the 115 final. Competing in one of the toughest weight classes – eight placers – in the state meet, Griffin showed why she’s among the best in the state. Her athleticism and mat IQ were evident in her three-set win.
“I just tried to stay calm and in control of my emotions,” Griffin said. “I expected this, but I did get tired in the match. I told myself to keep going.”
Even more surprising, Griffin is a newcomer to wrestling.
“I’ve been wrestling for a year,” she said. “I just worked hard in practice. Wrestling is my favorite sport. My brother and cousin got me into wrestling. This feels very good to me.”
Girls Senior – 121
Kerby Germann also put her name into the record and history books. She earned the first major-decision title victory, defeating Bella Castelli of Hononegah Wrestling Club 12-0 at 121 pounds.
Germann, who was representing the River Ben Wrestling Club, flashed speed and strength on the mat to top her esteemed opponent. She seized a 7-0 advantage after two periods
The seventh grader said softball, track, volleyball and wrestling are her best sports.
“The key was doing the turk because that saved my whole match,” she said. “I got to hold it a long time. This feels really good, a top 10 thing. I’ve been wrestling for about five years. I like wrestling because its more hands-on.”
Girls Senior – 127
Emily Taylor had one of the shortest trips to the state tournament. Hailing from Belvidere Bandits Wrestling Club, Taylor won the 127 title via a tie-breaker 7-6 against Anastasia Rodnikova of Force Elite Wrestling Club.
In one of the toughest, if not the toughest, state-title matches of the day, Taylor kept on pushing forward with an attacking style to knock off Rodnikova in overtime.
Taylor walked away from her victory exhausted but excited from her win, raising her arms up high in the air in happiness. Taylor, who attends Belvidere South Middle School, said she was prepared for an intense match in the finals.
“Conditioning was the key for me,” Taylor said. “I had never wrestled that girl before, but my conditioning paid off. She was very strong. That was my toughest match of the year, for sure. She was strong and very well conditioned but I was able to pull out the win.
“I think I just didn’t give up. I knew it was going to be a tough match. I’m really excited. I always wanted to win state. I didn’t do too well last year (at state) against the boys. I learned from that. Just because they are stronger, it doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with them. I kept up with them pretty well. In my last match (last year) in the consolations, we went into double overtime, so that helped me (today).”
Girls Senior – 143
Allison Garbacz, of ISI Wrestling Club, started fast and finished fast on Saturday. Garbacz jumped out to a 7-2 lead late in the third period, pulling out an 8-2 win over Eila Barbour of Beat the Streets Chicago-Avondale in the 143 final.
Seconds after winning her title, Garbacz was still battling fatigue from her hard-earned victory. She had a quiet celebration to end a long weekend, closing out her season with a memorable run to the state title in her class.
Five minutes later, Garbacz made a point for a cooldown, running back and forth in the open area between the four mats and the media viewing area.
“My coaches helped me a lot,” Garbacz said. “I had really good coaching. This has been what I’ve been waiting since the beginning of the year.”
Garbacz started wrestling 10 years ago because she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Austin. She plans to attend South Elgin High School.
“I’m happy with how I wrestled,” Garbacz said.
Her father and coach, Jim Garbacz, said his daughter wrestling with passion.
“She stayed aggressive and didn’t go out there thinking it was going to be a cakewalk,” Jim Garbacz said. “She still hasn’t lost to a girl from Illinois in over a year, so that’s a good thing. It’s funny because she started wrestling because of watching her brother. She started rolling around the mat and liked it.”
Girls Senior – 183
Representing the West Suburban Girls Wrestling Club, Alexis Penley had one of the fastest matches on Saturday. Penley needed just 29 seconds to pin Belen Vargas of Beat the Streets Chicago-Oak Park to notch the 183 title.
Girls Senior – 240
Olivia Rosine had a mental and physical challenge, so did her opponent, Eliza Gustafson.
Both wrestlers had the final girls match of the day, watching and waiting for their battle in the 240-pound state championship bout.
Compounding matters, the 183 final finished in just 29 seconds, forcing both wrestlers to wait until the other three matches –one girls and two boys – were completed to battle each other. Both wrestlers bid their time by mainly walking around the mat.
Making a three-hour drive from Charleston, Rosine went to work fast in the finals, pinning Gustafson in the first period to notch the final state title victory of the day for the girls at the 1:15 mark. Wearing a hat in the postmatch, Rosine, who was competing for the Charleston Wrestling Club, credited her victory to her coaches and teammates.
“I just tried to defend my spot, and whatever she was in, I countered,” Rosine said. “The wait was a good thing for me. It gave me a slight advantage.”Rosine said she was surprised to win the state title, mainly due to a rough season.
“My season was crappy,” she said. “I wasn’t winning many. I don’t know what happened here. I think there was a fire in me that started maybe yesterday. This feels amazing after competing last year at state with the boys. Girls are different. I feel like it was a lot easier.”
In the Girls Novice, the State Champions included:
Kayleigh Vest of TJ Trained Wrestling at 59 pounds; Nora Rauen of Force Elite Wrestling Club at 64 pounds; Abigail Godard of Edwardsville Wrestling Club at 69 pounds; Ava Schlichting of Harlem Huskies Wrestling Club at 75 pounds; Kennedy Hogan of Frankfort Gladiator Wrestling at 81 pounds; Stephanie Hawkins of LaSalle Peru Crunching Cavs Youth Wrestling Club at 87 pounds;.
Lyndzey Brewer of Little Giants Wrestling Club at 94 pounds; Cora Jordan of Edwardsville Wrestling Club at 102 pounds; Marissa Mayfield of Toss Em Up Wrestling Academy at 112 pounds; Rain Scott of Springs Elite Wrestling Club at 126 pounds; Piper Sandell of Stockton Renegades Wrestling Club at 140 pounds and Sophie Wojkiewicz of Batavia Wrestling Club at 180 pounds.