Wrestling will start on each day at 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 ET). On Saturday morning, there will be two rounds of championship and one of consolation before a one hour break; after the break, at approximately 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 ET), there will be a consolation round followed by a joint round that includes the quarterfinals. On Sunday morning, wrestling starts with a consolation round, then a joint round that includes the semifinals, and concluding with the consolation semifinals. Matches for first, third, fifth, and seventh will be conducted at 2 p.m. CT (3 ET).
Illinois Matmen (link: http://www.playonsports.com/channels/illinois-matmen) will again provide a live video broadcast with commentary for the Sunday competition. The plan is to offer two streams, which will enable most semifinal matches to be broadcast, as well as championship and third-place matches.
Below is a breakdown of all the weight classes (all schools are from Illinois unless noted):
106: The lone returning state placer in this weight class is Anthony Bosco (Marmion Academy), who placed third last year and was sixth at the Preseason Nationals last month. However, the weight class favorite is L.J. Bentley (St. Edward, Ohio), a state qualifier and NHSCA Freshman Nationals champion who beat Bosco for seventh place at the Walsh Ironman earlier this month. Others to watch are Cadet freestyle runner-up Nick Lukanich (Marist) and Patrick Augustyn (Glenbard North).
113: Four wrestlers stand out here, led by state champion Tommy Pawleski (Montini Catholic), who was also a Junior Greco-Roman runner-up this summer and a Junior freestyle runner-up last summer. Other notables are two-time state placer Zac Denny (Machesney Park Harlem), who placed eighth at 120 in the Preseason Nationals; Cadet freestyle All-American Brian Rossi (Lockport), who placed third at state; and freshman A.J. Jaffe (Marmion Academy).
120: Three nationally ranked wrestlers anchor this extremely deep weight class. Leading the way is No. 6 Johnny Jimenez (Marmion Academy) -- a two-time state champion, Cadet freestyle third place finisher, and 2010 Dvorak champion. Additional ranked wrestlers are No. 14 Josh Alber (Dakota), a two-time state champion and Super 32 Challenge runner-up, and No. 19 Jordan Laster (Montini Catholic), a two-time state placer who finished sixth at the Ironman earlier this month. Others to watch are two-time state placer Mark Duda (Marist), Preseason Nationals runner-up Stephen Polakowsky (Libertyville), and state placer Jon Marmolejo (Glenbard North) who also is a two-time Cadet Greco-Roman All-American.
126: Two-time state champion, and 2011 Junior freestyle All-American, Jered Cortez (Glenbard North) -- ranked No. 2 in the nation - is the clear favorite in this weight class. However, it is Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park Harlem) who has won the Dvorak before -- he did so last year at 113 pounds during a state title season. Others to watch include state runner-up Chris Walters (Iowa City West, Iowa), state placer David Kasper (Marist), two-time Cadet freestyle All-American Nicholas Gil (Crystal Lake South), and Cadet Greco-Roman champion Vince Turk (Montini Catholic).
132: Two nationally ranked wrestlers anchor this weight class, both having placed at the Ironman earlier this month. Three-time state champion and Super 32 champion this October Dean Heil (St. Edward, Ohio) finished third in the Ironman, and is No. 3 nationally. 2011 state champion George Fisher (Marmion Academy) placed seventh at the Ironman after winning the Preseason Nationals, and is ranked No. 14 in the nation. A pair of two-time state placers is also present in this weight class -- Johnny Gosinski (Glenbard North) and Nick Nasenbenny (Plainfield Central). Another pair of wrestlers to watch are state placer Austin Strzelcyzk (Lockport) and Cadet freestyle All-American Jose Champagne (Montini Catholic).
138: Colin Heffernan (St. Edward, Ohio) is the lone nationally ranked wrestler at No. 19 in the nation. He placed fourth at state last year and finished fifth at the Ironman. Two-time state placer Chris Garcia (Montini Catholic) ranks as the primary challenger to Heffernan, and took sixth at the Ironman for his second placement in that event. Others to watch include two-time state placer Kegan Wakefield (Iowa City West, Iowa), state placers Carver James (Dakota) and Robbie Mikenis (Lincoln Way Central), 2011 state placer Colton Gladwell (Washington), and Cadet Greco-Roman runner-up Joey Gunther (Libertyville).
145: Only a junior, Bryce Brill (Mt. Carmel) has already won two Dvorak championships. He is also a two-time state finalist, winning in 2011, and was a Junior National freestyle champion this summer. Despite being ranked No. 2 in the country, his third Dvorak title will not come without extreme challenge. That is because No. 4 Edgar Bright (St. Edward, Ohio) is also present here. Bright won the Ironman earlier this month, is a three-time state placer (twice finishing runner-up), and a 2011 Cadet National freestyle champion. Two other state placers present in this weight class are Coord Wiseman (Barrington) and Michael Sepke (Montini Catholic).
152: The lead competitor in this weight class carries similarities to both Brill and Bright. Like Brill, Brian Murphy (Glenbard North) is a two-time Dvorak champion. Like Bright, Murphy is also a three-time state placer, twice finishing as runner-up; these two wrestlers are the best seniors in the United States yet to win a state title. This two-time Junior freestyle All-American is ranked No. 3 nationally and favored to win his third Dvorak title. However, an excellent St. Edward wrestler in No. 13 Markus Scheidel will provide a legit challenge; Scheidel is a two-time state placer and finished fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals. Others to watch include state qualifiers Tyler Schneider (Lincoln Way Central), also fourth at Preseason Nationals, and Luke Fortuna (Montini Catholic).
160: This seems to be a pretty open weight class with three wrestlers leading the field. Hunter Rollins (Hersey) placed fifth at state, Peter Andreotti (Marist) placed sixth at state, and sophomore Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic) was a state qualifier last year and a Cadet National double All-American during the summer.
170: Yet another weight without a nationally ranked wrestler. Three state placers are present -- third in the state Dan Rowland (Willowbrook), fifth in the state Alex Benoit (Marist), and sixth in the state Michael Maduko (Montini Catholic). Another wrestler to watch is Kayne McCallum (Libertyville) who placed seventh at Preseason Nationals.
182: Leading the way here, assuming he’s back healthy, is No.2 Domenic Abounader (St. Edward, Ohio). He is a two-time state champion and won titles at the NHSCA freshman, sophomore, and junior Nationals. Those behind Abounader include returning Dvorak runner-up Connor Swier (Neuqua Valley), state placer Jake Turk (Montini Catholic), Ethan Benoit (Marist), and Cadet freestyle All-American Tyler Johnson (Lockport).
195: A pair of nationally ranked wrestlers anchor what should be an extremely deep weight class. No. 9 Jordan Ellingwood (Plainfield Central) placed third at state last year and was a champion at the Preseason Nationals. No. 15 Blake Blair (Edwardsville) was a state runner-up last year. Others to note include Ironman runner-up Gabe Dzuro (St. Edward, Ohio); state placer Josh Pruitt (Marist); two-time state qualifier Mickey Pelfrey (Iowa City West, Iowa); along with state qualifiers Sage Hecox (Machesney Park Harlem), Cody Snodgrass (Marmion Academy), and Anthony Ferraro (Montini Catholic).
220: Three state placers and two talented underclassmen lead the way in this weight class, which does not have a nationally ranked wrestler present. Edgar Ruano (Montini Catholic) and David Denne (Mt. Carmel) placed fourth at state, Josh Hickey (Marist) finished sixth, Parker Knapp (St. Edward, Ohio) was a Cadet freestyle All-American, and Lucas Warren (Marmion Academy) is a freshman sensation.
285: The lone state placer in this weight class is Andrew Geers (Neuqua Valley), who finished fourth at state. Two others here have qualified for state twice, Alex Fritz (Marmion Academy) and 2010 Dvorak champion Tom Howell (Marist).
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