2024-2025 Season Notes

Naperville Central Wrestling

2024 – 2025

Season Notes

Individual Accomplishments

State Qualifiers: Henry Rydwelski (6th), Jacob Cochran, William Erbeck, Dezi Azar (6th)

Sectional Qualifiers: Vince Bern, CJ Bierman, Jacob Cochran, William Erbeck, Dalton Meluch, Paul Peradotti, Henry Rydwelski, Dezi Azar, Arianna Rico

All Conference / DVC Champions: Jacob Cochran (OW!), Vince Bern (2X), Henry Rydwelski, Paul Peradotti, Will Erbeck (2X)

Academic All-Conference: Bradley Anderson, Henry Rydwelski, Jacob Cochran, Paul Peradotti, Austin Schiltz, Justin Skryd, James Ball, Brenna Berkowitz, Annika Hull, Ellen Purl, Melva Gallego-Sugar, Sophia Liu, Alejandra Perez Delgado, Arianna Rico

Captains: Jacob Cochran Henry Rydwelski, Will Erbeck

Iron Man Award: Bradley Anderson, James Ball, Vince Bern, CJ Bierman, Jacob Cochran, Stavros Gerousis, Nick Olvera, Paul Peradotti, Henry Rydwelski, Austin Schiltz, Jack Schwartz, Yusuf Sikander, Justin Skryd, Annika Hull, Ellen Purl, Nate Sadowski, Caelon Young, Mason Betz-Waters, Tyler Gonzalez, Cooper Kozielski, Jack Sjordal, Daniel Ryba

Managers: Chanelle Phillips, Rhea Thankachen, Sadi Lui, Giselle Sevilla, Arianna Thigpen

Naperville Central Finishes in 8th Place at Marmion Cadet Classic Tournament

• 1 Aurora (Marmion Academy) 211.5

• 2 Chicago (Marist) 206.0

• 3 New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West) 172.5

• 4 Lockport (Twp.) 147.0

• 5 Chatham (Glenwood) 140.5

• 6 Chicago (St. Patrick) 128.5

• 7 Huntley 120.0

• 8 Naperville (Central) 119.5

• 9 Woodstock (Marian) 98.5

• 10 West Chicago (H.S.) 89.0

• 11 Fithian (Oakwood) 61.5

• 12 Plainfield (North) 55.0

11/27/2024

The Naperville Central Redhawks kick off the 2024-2025 campaign with an early competition held at Marmion High School in Aurora.  The host team won the tournament.  Central finished in eighth place of twelve teams.

Captain Henry Rydwelski brought home gold for the Hawks at 175 pounds.  The senior won all four of his matches in route to his placement on top of the podium.  Rydwelski won by fall to open the tournament and followed that up with three hard-fought decisions including a 5-2 win over Tomkins of Chicago Marist in the finals.  Junior Yusuf Sikander won three matches in a row after losing his first match at 157 pounds including two wins by technical fall.  Sikander finished in fourth place.  Also finishing in fourth place is junior Austin Aguinaldo at 120 pounds.  Aguinaldo racked up six takedowns in his four wins including a 13-2 major decision against Munn from Lincoln-Way West.

Jacob Cochran locked up three wins including two falls and one technical fall in his path to a fourth-place finish.  Cochran is tied with Rydwelski in the takedown category with six.

Two additional Redhawks place in the event including Dalton Meluch (106) and Stavros Gerousis who both won three matches took 5th place.  Meluch won by fall in his place match in the first period against Bell of Marmion.  Gerousis (150) won by decision over Nestar of Chatham Glenwood 6-4 for his hardware.

Several Hawks finished with two wins including Igor deCastro (2-2 at 126 pounds), Gavin McDonald (2-2 at 138 pounds), Bradley Anderson (2-2 at 144 pounds).  Jack Schwartz defeated Emmanuel Rangel 13-11 at 113 pounds.  Freshman James Ball scored a technical fall over Kuchta of Huntley at 126 pounds.  Austin Schiltz scored a 6-0 decision over Pakla of Plainfield North at 138 pounds.  William Kotecki wrestled at 157 pounds and earned a second period fall over Bilek of Chicago St. Patrick.  Nithilan Gandhi earned a varsity win by pinning Norton of Oakwood in the first period at 215 pounds.  Quinn O’Donnell wrestled at 165 pounds.

Naperville Central Girls Finish in 7th Place at 32-Team Niles West Tournament

11/31/2024

The Naperville Central girls finished in an impressive 7th place at Nile West Tournament with a 32 team field.  Nine Central girls wrestled with only six scorers due to some competing in the same weight class.  Five Redhawks placed.  All nine wrestlers came away with at least one win.  In all, Central won 25 matches against 15 losses.

Senior Ellen Purl picked up where she left off last year with a remarkable second place finish.  Purl advance to the finals with a come-from-behind pin against Nevarez of Oswego East.  Purl finished the day 3-1 with three falls wrestling at 125 pounds.  Also wrestling at 125 pounds, sophomore Dezi Azar finished in third place.  Azar picked up the most wins for the Hawks, ending with a 5-1 record – all wins by fall.  Gracie Meluch, 120 added four pins to the team total and finished with a fourth-place medal.  Senior mainstay Annika Hull earned three wins in route to a fourth-place finish at 105 pounds.

Sophomore Arianna Rico dropped her first match of the day, but came all the way back to 7th place, earning four points on her way to a 4-1 record at 155 pounds.  Senior Bianca Arredondo just missed placing but started her 24-25 campaign with a 3-1 record with all her wins by fall at 130 pounds.  Sophia Liu scored a win against Juarez of Wheeling by a score of 7-5.  Both Alejandra Perez Delgado and Brenna Berkowitz earned their first career wins in the tournament.  Perez Delgado scored a 16-0 technical fall against Flores of Wheaton and Berkowitz won by fall over Patitucci of Maine West.

Naperville Central Defeat Batavia

11/31/2024

The Naperville Central (1-0) kicks off the 2024-2025 season with a dual win against Batavia at home.  Only ten matches were competed with Central winning three by forfeit and Batavia winning one by forfeit.  Both Batavia and Central football teams advance deep into the football playoffs with Batavia in the state football finals later the same day.  Naperville Central and Batavia split the remaining ten matches.  Central edged the Bulldogs in takedowns 15-14.

Freshman Jack Fitzgerald scored a fall over Calvillo of Batavia to earn his first ever varsity win at 106 pounds.  Fitzgerald’s fall can in the second period.  The Bulldog’s Kai Enos won by a score of 12-0 over Austin Aguinaldo at 120 pounds.  Elias Chaney also earned a major decision for the Bulldogs by defeating Jake Moore 15-6 at 126 pounds.  The Hawk’s Jacob Cochran squeaked out at 1-0 decision over Kyle Pasco at 126.  Jack Duraski won by fall over Central’s Austin Schiltz in the second period of their match at 138.

Stavros Gerousis, wrestling at 144 pounds, impressed the home crowd with a second period fall over Fukumoto of Batavia.  The Batavia answered with a 14-9 decision by Cole Hubbard over Bradley Anderson 14-9 at 150 pounds.

Central earned two wins in a row at 157 and 165 pounds.  Yusuf Sikander won by technical fall 20-4 against Blake Vande Loo and Nicolas Olvera also won by technical fall over Mellin 18-0.  Colin Peyton of Batavia won with a second period fall over Caelon Young at 190.

Central’s Dalton Meluch, Henry Rydwelski and Nithilan Gandi all earned victories by forfeit.

Naperville Central Defeats DVC Foe Neuqua Valley 74-6

12/5/2024

The Redhawks improved to 2-0 (1-0 in DVC) with a decisive dual victory against Neuqua Valley by a score of 74-6. The contest took place at Naperville Central High School.  The Wildcats forfeited five weight classes.  Central won eight of the remaining nine matches.  The first six wins by Hawks were decided without wrestling a third period.

Sophomore Nicolas Olvera scored a technical fall over Caprio by a score of 17-2 to start the dual at 165 pounds.  Captain Henry Rydwelski followed at 175 with a pin over Strange.  After Neuqua forfeited to Paul Peradotti at 190, Central’s Nithilan Gandi scored a first period mat-slapper against Ibrahim at 215.

The Wildcats forfeited to 285 pounder William Erbeck, 106 pounder Dalton Meluch and 113 pounder Jack Schwartz ahead of Central’s Austin Aguinaldo’s pin against Bandla late in the section period of the 120 pound match.  At 126 pounds the Hawks Jake Moore scored another fall over Podracky and at 132 pounds Jacob Cochran defeated Gold also by fall.

Central earned victories at 138 and 144 pounds.  Vince Bern scored a 19-3 technical fall over Khodzhamuratov and Stavros Gerousis a 10-1 major decision over Ridges.  CJ Bierman picked up the fifth forfeit for the Hawk.  Nicholas Pape of Neuqua Valley defeated Central’s Yusuf Sikander at 157.

Naperville Central JV1 team defeated Neuqua Valley 69-12 and the freshman team defeated the Wildcats 75-14.

Naperville Central Improves to 5-0 After Three Duals at Mega Duals

12/7/2024

Naperville Central won all three duals at the annual “Mega Duals”, this year held at Wheaton Warrenville South High School.  In all three duals, the Redhawks won 35 matches against just 7 losses.  Central added 53 takedowns in the three duals.

Central opened with a defeat Oswego East 74-6 to start the contests.   In dual two, the Redhawks shut out hosts Wheaton Warrenville South by a score of 71-0.  In the final meet, the Hawk beat West Aurora 45-35.

Paul Peradotti won all three matches by fall at 190 pounds.  William Erbeck (275) and Jacob Cochran (132) both finished 3-0 as well with both locking down two falls.  Other Redhawks who finished undefeated include Henry Rydwelski, CJ Bierman, Jake Moore, and Jack Schwartz.  Rydwelski tied Yusuf Sikander in takedowns, both earning eight total.  Both Rydwelski and Sikander won two matches by technical fall as well.

Central’s JV1 team won all two duals, defeating Oswego and Rockton Hononegah before losing to St. Charles East.

Naperville Central won the eight team Lyons Township Freshman Wrestling Invitation with 245 points.  Naperville North took second place with 226 points while hosts Lyons Township scored 151 points.  Tournament champions for the Hawks were Jack Fitzgerald at 106, Nathan Pins at 113, and Oliver Kukis at 120.  Fifteen of sixteen Central wrestlers placed in the top four in the tournament.

NCHS Girls Finish 7th of 25 Schools at Eisenhower

12/7/2024

The Redhawk girls wrestling team finished in 7th place out of 25 teams at the Cardinal Invitational held at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. The Lady Redhawks won 24 matches to just 11 losses. All nine girls won at least one match and seven medaled. The Hawks took seventh with only five wrestlers scoring. All 24 wins were by fall except one (by technical fall).

Senior standout Annika Hull won all three of her matches to bring home gold at 105 pounds including a come from behind pin in the finals against Halletan of Marist. Sophomore Dezi Azar earned four pins in route to a championship at 125 pounds. Azar defeated teammate Bianca Arredondo in the finals match by fall. Arredondo herself made the finals with pins of her own including a second period fall in the semis over Klobnak of Joliet West.  Senior Ellen Purl advanced to the finals match for the second week in a row and took a silver medal at 125. Purl lost to Heredia in the place match. Purl’s semifinal opponent was teammate Gracie Meluch. Meluch battled to a fourth place finish with two wins by fall.  Newcomer Alejandra Perez Delgado lost her first match at 105 but then battled all the way back to a 5th place finish ending 3-1. Perez Delgado was nominated for newcomer of the tournament.  Sophomore Arianna Rico fought to a 6th place finish and won two matches against two losses.

At 120 pounds, Melva Gallego-Sugar won not only her first ever wrestling victory, but actually three wins. She finished with a 3-2 record on the day.  Brenna Berkowitz defeated Spoljaric of Joliet West at 135.

Naperville Central Wins Crosstown Classic

Naperville Central 44 – Naperville North 25

12/12/2024

Naperville Central improved to 6-0 on the season, 2-0 in the DVC after they defeated Naperville North in their annual Crosstown Classic by a score of 44-25.  The dual was held at Naperville North High School under a spotlight.  The Huskies honored their seniors prior to the contest.  Central won eight matches to North’s six.  Five of the Redhawks’ wins were by fall and two more were by technical fall.

The matchup proved to be as exciting as advertised with the team score lead bouncing back and forth in the dual.  Host North won the first match at 215 pounds when Tavkif Ibragimov won by fall over Nithilan Gandi in the second period.  Central’s William Erbeck answered for the Redhawks with a first period fall over Jake Kedziora in the first period.  The Hawk’s earned their first lead of the night after 106 pounder Dalton Meluch upended Quinn Karstens by technical fall 18-2.  Meluch scored four takedowns in the match.  North retook the team score lead after two wins by the brother’s Beedon.  Adam Beedon defeated Jack Schwarz at 113 pounds by a score of 14-8 and Ryan Beedon scored a technical fall over Landon Lusero at 120.  That made the team score 14-11 in favor of the Huskies.  Naperville North extended their lead after Connor McDonald edged Jake Moore at 126 pounds by a score of 4-3.

With the team score now at 17-11, the Hawks Jacob Cochran, 132, earned late, third period fall over Kai Balice to knot the team score at 17 apiece.  Cochran improved his season record to 9-2.  A pair of Huskie standouts took control of their matches to regain the team score lead.  Cochran leads the team in falls with 6.  At 138, Ben Messier came from behind to defeat Vince Bern by a score of 14-11 and at 144, Tyler Sternstein scored a 17-2 technical fall over Stavros Gerousis.

The Huskie’s leading by eight team points with five matches to go.  The Hawks took over the contest, winning the last five matches.  At 150, CJ Bierman bought the visiting Redhawk fans to their feet after winning by fall in the first period over Zachary Mally.  Yusuf Sikander scored five takedowns over Evan Marschitz in route to a 19-3 technical fall at 157.  Sikander leads the team in takedowns with 21.  Sophomore newcomer Nicolas also earned five takedowns to win by major decision over JT Hill by major decision 15-4.  Senior Captain Henry Rydwelski remained undefeated after locking down a first period fall over David Hurrie at 175 pounds.  Rydwelski holds a record of 10-0.  Paul Peradotti, 190, added a fall to end the night against Brady Valle.

Central defeated North at the JV1, JV2 and Freshman duals. 

Naperville Central Girls team won four of six matches against North with three of those matches happening under the lights just prior to the varsity dual.  Annika Hull, Bella Lopez, Gracie Meluch, and Dezi Azar were winners.

Naperville Central Girls Place Three at the Munch

Central places 11th of 33 teams at Pontiac

12/13/2024

The Naperville Central Girls took to the mats for another tournament, this time at Pontiac for the Munch.  Eight Redhawks competed and three came home with some hardware.  Central won 17 matches and lost 14.  Every Hawk wrestler won at least one match.

Sophomore Dezi Azar, 125, won three matches to improve to 14-2 on the season.  She won by fall over Curcuic of Genesco to take third place.  Azar leads the team in falls with 13 and takedowns with 15.  Senior Bianca Arredondo, 130, lost to the number one seed early in the tournament, but rebounded to win five matches.  Arredondo advanced to the 5th / 6th place match which she forfeited so that she wouldn’t exceed the daily six match maximum.  Arredondo carries a record of 12-4 on the season and is tied with the takedown lead with 15.

Sophomore Arianna Rico, 9-5, won both of her first two matches to advance to the semifinals at 145 pounds.  Rico finished in fourth place after losing to top-seeded Guthke of Batavia in her place match.  Ellen Purl, 120, scored two falls at the event including a come-from-behind pin against Malason of IVC.  Purl is now 9-4 on the year.  Newcomer Bella Lopez competed at 120 pounds and scored a couple of pins herself.  Both Purl and Lopez finished the night at 2-2.  Annika Hull (105), Alejandra Perez Delgado (105) and Brenna Berkowitz (145) each won a match and all finished 1-2.

Naperville Central Finishes in 2nd Place at Prospect Mudge / McMorrow Tournament

12/14/2024

1. Joliet Catholic 271.5
2. Naperville Central 207.5
3. York 173.0
4. Prospect 140.0
5. Grayslake Central 127.0
6. Moline 102.5
7. Libertyville 102.0
8. McHenry 100.0
9. Addison Trail 98.0
10. New Trier 97.5
11. Hampshire 75.0
12. Belvidere North 56.5
13. St. Charles (North) 53.0
14. Round Lake 36.5
15. Chicago (Noble/UIC) 14.0

Naperville Central finished in second place that the Mudge / McMorrow Invitational held at Prospect High School.  The tournament was won by Joliet Catholic.  Central won 45 matches against only 28 losses.  All nineteen wrestlers in the field for the Redhawks won at least one match.  Of the 45 matches won, 25 were by fall and 5 were by technical fall.  Seventeen of the nineteen wrestlers placed in the top eight.  NCHS sent five wrestlers to the finals with two champions.

Leading the way for the Redhawks was 175 pounder Hendy Rydwelski who remains undefeated after winning all three of his matches.  Rydwelski, now 13-0, defeated Gavin Payne of Prospect by a score of 5-4 to bring home gold.  Also standing at the top of the podium for the Hawks was 138 pounder Vince Bern.  Bern needed four wins in the tournament to get the blue ribbon.  Bern, 7-2, defeated Aiurelio Munoz of Joliet Catholic by a 7-1 decision.  Bern scored 11 takedowns combined in this four matches.

Three other Central wrestlers made the finals and finished in second place.  Mainstay Jacob Cochran, 132, 12-3, scored a fall in the semifinals over Ryan Hanson of McHenry.  Cochran is currently second on the team list for wins and leads the team in falls with 9.  Paul Peradotti, 190, improved to 7-1 on the season after going 2-1 at the tournament.  Peradotti scored a major decision over Jude Ossian of Moline 11-2 in his semifinal match.  Senior leader and heavyweight Will Erbeck just missed defeating top-ranked William Cole of Round Lake in the finals, falling 5-3.  Erbeck, also 7-1, earned two falls to advance to his finals match.

Two Central grapplers advanced to the semifinals and finished in third place.  Jack Schwartz finished 3-1 on the day including a 6-2 win in his place match at 113 pounds.  He won by decision over Tommy Connors of York 6-2.  Senior CJ Bierman, 150, scored two fails to improve to 7-1.  Bierman defeated Liam O’Brien of St. Charles North by fall in the second period of his place match.

Four additional Hawks made the semifinals and finished in fourth place.  Dalton Meluch, 9-5 at 106 pounds, Jake Moore, 6-4 at 126, Austin Schiltz, 138 won two of four matches, and at 157 Justin Skryd won his first two matches at the varsity level this season.

Gavin McDonald and Jack Fitzgerald both had very successful days working their way through the consolation rounds to finish in fifth place.  Both McDonald (132) and Fitzgerald (106) ended 4-1 and both with three wins by fall.  McDonald improves to 6-3 on the season.  Freshman Fitzgerald already has five varsity wins on his resume.  Yusuf Sikander finished 3-2 at 157 and lead the team in takedowns at the tournament with 12.  Sikander has the takedown lead for the season with 33.  Freshman James Ball is now 4-4 wrestling at 126 after winning three matches at the Prospect tournament.  Both Sikander and Ball finished in 6th place.  Nicolas Olvera, 8-3 on the season at 165, took 7th place winning two matches.  Nithilan Gandi won a match at 215 and now holds a varsity record of 6-7.  Gandi ended with an 8th place finish.  Stavros Gerousis won a match at 144.  Freshman Reid Balis won his first ever varsity match also wrestled at 144.

Naperville Central (7-0, DVC 3-0) Defeats DeKalb

12/19/2024

Naperville Central defeated DuPage Valley Conference foe DeKalb on a snowy night at DeKalb by a final score of 44-26.  The Redhawks won nine of the fourteen matches contested, four by fall and two more by technical fall.  Central improves to 3-0, first place in the conference dual standings.  The Hawks took the team score lead in the second match and never looked back.

The contest started at the 157 weight class.  Central’s Yusuf Sikander took an early lead but couldn’t hold on and fell by decision to Cam Matthews by a score of 11-8.  Sophomore phenom Nick Olvera got the Hawks on the board with a third period fall over Preston Kjell at 165.  Captain Henry Rydwelski made quick work of Hussul Greer Jr., scoring a first period fall for the Redhawks at 175.  Central made it three matches in a row when Paul Peradotti, 195 locked down the shoulders of Erick Rivas in the third period.  The Barbs came back when Nicholas Waddle pinned Nithilan Gandi early in the 215 contest.  Senior standout Will Erbeck jumped out to and early lead for the Redhawks and held on to win by decision 11-5 at Heavyweight.

The Barbs answered with two wins that cut the team score lead to 21-20.  Jaden Bradley won by technical fall over Jack Fitzgerald at 106 and Julian Hartwin scored a fall over Jack Schwartz at 113.  Leading by the slimmest of margins, the Redhawks roared to life winning the next four matches and five of the last six.  At 120 pounds, Jake Moore took advantage of his wrestling experience winning by technical fall 16-0 over Daniel Sandoval.  At 126 pounds, Jacob Cochran fought Ayden Shuey in a back-and-forth contest that saw Cochran prevail by decision 11-5.  Senior Gavin McDonald made the most of his varsity opportunity, impressing the crowd with a solid 11-2 major decision over Tyler Daub at 132.  Vince Bern, 138, continues his hot streak, adding 5 takedowns this his stats and a second period fall against Grady Fowler.  DeKalb scored a fall at 133 when Michael Hodge pinned Stavros Gerousis, but CJ Bierman, the Redhawks 150 pounder, finished the night with a first period fall over Murdock Hernandez.

The Redhawk girls won six of ten contested matches against powerhouse DeKalb.  Dezi Azar, 125 looked impressive in a 14-2 major decision against state placewinner Reese Zimmer.  Senior Annika Hull added a fall to her wrestling resume over Jade Weiss.  Bianca Arredondo, 130 battled Kara Zimmerman earning a pin in the second period of her match with a headlock.  Gracie Meluch, 115 wasted no time in a headlock and pin over Sciabaras in 26 seconds.  Arianna Rico continues to show improvement with another first period pin at 145 pounds.  Young Melva Gallego-Sugar added a pin to her young career.

Naperville Central Sweeps Four Duals at Oak Forest MegaQuad

12/21/2024

• NCHS 65 – Bradley Bourbonnais 10

• NCHS 52 – York 26

• NCHS 56 – Prospect 14

• NCHS 59 – Oak Forest 17

Naperville Central won all three duals at Oak Forest to stay undefeated on the season at 11-0.  Combined, Central scored 232 team points to opponents’ 67.  The Redhawks won 44 matches against 13 losses.  Six Hawks finished the event at a perfect 4-0.

Leading the way for the Red and White was standout Will Ebeck.  The heavyweight improved to 12-1 on the season after winning all four matches, three by fall.  Erbeck leads the team in pin-by-win ratio.  Vince Bern, wrestling at 138 pounds, also completed a 4-0 day with two wins by fall and one by technical fall.  Bern earned seven takedowns in his matches and is now 12-2 on the season.  Jacob Cochran, 126 stays hot after a perfect day.  Cochran is now second on the team in wins with 17 and leads the team with 11 falls.  Paul Peradotti looked impressive at 190 adding four wins to improve to 12-1 this season.  Peradotti scored the second most takedowns at the MegaDuals with 8.  Dalton Meluch continued to impress with a solid 4-0 day.  Meluch, wrestling at 106 pounds scored two falls and is now 13-5 on the season.  Henry Rydwelski remains undefeated on the 2024-25 season with a sparkling record of 18-0 after locking down four additional wins at Oak Park.

Four additional wrestlers added three wins at the Duals including CJ Bierman, 150, Nichoas Olvera, 165, Jack Schwartz, 113, and Jake Moore 120.  Moore looked impressive with a team leading 9 takedowns at the MegaDuals and a win by technical fall.  Olvera had seven takedowns himself and two wins by fall to improve to 12-4. Bierman suffered only his second loss of the season against 11 wins.

Stavros Gerousis, 144, and Gavin McDonald 132, both finished even at 2-2.  Gerousis has 11 wins on the season.  McDonald has a record of 9-5.  Yusuf Sikander won one of two and earned six more takedowns to keep his team lead in that category with 40.

Justin Skryd, at 157, scored a couple of wins in as many matches winning by decision 13-9.  James Ball made the most of his varsity opportunity, winning by fall over Dines of Bradly Bourbonnais by fall in the first period.  Nithilan Gandi participated at 215 pounds for the Redhawks.

Naperville Central Girls Place 4th in the 18 Team Curie Queens of Mayhem Tournament

Naperville Central had seven placewinners of nine competitors at the 2024 Curie Queens of Mayhem Tournament.  The tournament was held at Marie Skoldowska Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago.  Morton East won the tournament while Marist and Thornton took second and third.  Central won 18 matches against just 12 losses.  Five Lady Redhawks advance to the semifinals and two moved on to the championship match.

Senior Bianca Arredondo, 130, won both of her first two matches to reach the finals.  Arredondo finished in second place and carries a 15-5 record on the year, second on the team in wins.  Arianna Rico, 140 won two matches by fall to make the first final of her career including a three period battle over Freeman of Thornton.  Rico is 12-6 on the season.  Annike Hull just missed the finals after losing a heartbreaker in the semifinals.  Hull, 100, is 12-5 and leads the team in takedowns.

Gracie Meluch, 115 and Dezi Azar, 125 both finished in 4th place.  Meluch used a series of throws to keep herself in every match.  She has a record of 11-6.  Azar finished 2-1 after defaulting in her third place match by injury.  Azar leads the team in wins with 16 and falls with 14.  Azar is day to day.  The Hawks other place winners were Ellen Purl (120) and Melva Gallego-Sugar (115).  Veteran Purl lost in her second match to eventual champion Garcia of Morton but came back with three wins to finish 4-1 on the day.  Purl is now 13-6.  Newcomer Gallego-Sugar impressively added another four wins to her young career to improve to 8-5.  Brenna Berkowitz wrestled at 135 pounds and defeated Martinez of Streamwood in the first round.  Alejandra Perez Delgado lost both of her matches at 105 pounds in the tournament.

Naperville Central finishes in 14th Place at the 32-Team Flavin

Central finished with a dual record of 3-3

12/27/2024 – 12/28/2024

• ·       NCHS 35 – Glenbard West 32

• ·       NCHS 32 – Yorkville 27

• ·       NCHS 26 – Arlington Heights Hersey 38

• ·       NCHS 40 – Barrington 33

• ·       NCHS 45 – DeKalb 29

• ·       NCHS 30 – Lockport 44

Naperville Central completed the 2024 calendar year taking 14th place at the Flavin, the premier in-season dual team championships held at DeKalb High School.  Naperville Central now has a record of 14-3 on the season.  In individual matches, Central won 43 and lost 41.  Of the 43 wins, 19 came by fall, 7 came by technical fall and 5 matches were by major decision, making 31 of the wins earning bonus points.

On day 1 of the competition, Naperville Central Competed in the “Dan Cliffe” Bracket, one of four 8-team brackets in the 32-team field.  In the quarterfinals of the bracket, Central faced Glenbard West in a dual that came down to bonus points as each team won seven matches.  Starting at 150, Central took a early lead after CJ Bierman won by decision.  Glenbard West won the next two matches at 157 and 165 with Yusuf Sikander and Nicolas Olvera doing down in defeat by technical fall and decision respectively.  With Central down 3-8, Henry Rydwelski and Paul Peradotti scored consecutive wins at 175 and 190 by technical fall and pin to help the Hawks take a 14-8 team score lead.  The Hilltoppers answered with a pin over Nithilan Gandi at 215 to tie the team score.  Naperville Central and Glenbard West traded pins at 215 and heavyweight.  Will Erbeck won by fall but the Toppers answered with a pin over 106 pounder Dalton Meluch.

Now with the team score knotted at 20 each, the Redhawks racked up 52 match points to just 3 for the Hilltoppers with three consecutive technical falls at 113, 120 and 126.  Jack Schwartz looked impressive with a solid 17-1 tech fall and 120 pounder Jake Moore matched the effort with a 17-1 tech of his own.  Jacob Cochran did one better with an 18-1 tech.  Leading 35-20, Central withstood a comeback effort from West.  Glenbard won the last three matches with decisions at 132 over Vince Bern (4-2), and at 138 over Austin Schiltz (6-1).  West won by fall at 144 over Stavros Gerousis, but it wasn’t enough to win the dual.

In the semifinals of the Dan Cliffe bracket, Naperville Central suffered their first dual loss of the season to Yorkville.  Remember Yorkville defeated Central at the quarter-finals of IHSA dual state championships last February.  Today, both teams won seven of the contested matches, but Yorkville 16 bonus points to Central’s 11.  Yorkville blasted out to five consecutive wins and 26 team points to start the dual.  At 157, Yusuf Sikander lost by fall, at 165 Nicolas Olvera lost by major decision, at 175, Henry Rydwelski suffered his first loss of the season, and at 190 and 215 Paul Peradotti and Nithilan Gandi both lost by fall.

Naperville Central came firing back with six consecutive wins to tie the team score at 26.  Central standout Will Erbeck secured a fall at heavyweight.  Dalton Meluch battled to a 7-1 decision at 106, Jack Schwartz won by fall at113, Jack Moore fought to a 16-4 major decision at 120, Jacob Cochran squeaked out a 12-10 decision at 126 and Vince Bern bettered his opponent by major decision at 132.  Yorkville regained the team score lead with a pin at 138 over Gavin McDonald, but Stavros Gerousis tied up the team score after his win by fall at 144.  With the team score tied, the Foxes won the final match by fall over CJ Bierman at 150.

Naperville Central lost to Arlington Heights, Hersey in the third place match of the Dan Cliffe bracket by a score of 38-26.  Hersey won eight of the fourteen matches.  Winners include Henry Rydwelski, Paul Peradotti, Will Erbeck, Dalton Meluch, Vince Bern and CJ Bierman.  Peradotti and Erbeck’s wins were by fall with Peradotti earning a quick pin in just :26 seconds.  Meluch and Rydwelski both posted wins by major decision.  The lost to Hersey made Naperville Central a fourth place team in the 8-team Dan Cliffe Bracket and advanced the Redhawks to the Bronze Pool for the second day of competition.

Day two began with a tough matchup with Barrington.  In that meet, Central won eight matches for a 40-33 team score victory.  Rydwelski, 175 opened the scoring with a technical fall and Peradotti (190) added a major decision victory.  The Redhawks and Bronco’s traded wins in the next six weight classes.  Nithilan Gandi lost at 215, but then Will Erbeck locked down a fall at 285.  Meluch lost at 106, but Jack Schwartz scored a technical fall at 113.  Jake Moore fell at 120, but then Jacob Cochran posted his opponent’s shoulders to the mat at 126.  Vince Bern, 132 made it two in a row for the Hawks with a win by technical fall.  Austin Schiltz lost by decision at 138.  Stavros Gerousis avenged that loss with a first period fall at 144.  The Broncos earned two wins in a row at 150 and 157 against Bierman and Justin Skryd.  Nick Olvera iced the contest with a tight, hard-fought 9-5 decision for the final match.

Dual two on day two saw Naperville Central against DVC foe DeKalb, a team the Redhawks defeated just a week ago.  Central won against the host team on this day by a final of 45-29.  The Redhawks won nine of the 14 matches, six by fall.

Paul Peradotti, 190 opened with a fall.  After a loss at 215, Erbeck won his fifth match of the tournament with a fall at heavyweight.  The Barbs won both lightweight matches at 106 and 113.  The Hawks answered with five match wins in a row, the first three coming by fall including Jake Moore (120), Jacob Cochran (126) and Vince Bern (132).  Austin Schiltz (138) and Stavros Gerousis (144) both earned wins by decisions.  Gerousis avenged his loss a week ago with his win.  The Barbs won two more matches at 150 and 157.  In the final two matches, Naperville’s Olvera won by fall at 165 and Rydwelski won by decision 12-8.  Rydwelski averaged a loss to his opponent from a match from last season.

In the final dual of the tournament, Central lost to Lockport by a score3 of 44-30.  The Porters won eight matches.  The dual started at 215 where Lockport won by fall over Nithilan Gandi.  Naperville Central’s Will Erbeck completed a perfect 6-0 tournament with a pin at 285.  Erbeck is now 18-1 on the year and is tied for the team lead in pins with 13.  Dalton Meluch earned a second period fall at 106.  Meluch finished 3-3 and is sitting with a 16-8 record on the season.  Jack Schwartz was defeated at 113.  Schwartz also ended the day 3-3 and now at 13-9.  Jake Moore finished the day with a hard fought 4-1 decision at 120.  Moore, 120, won four of six in the tournament and has twice as many wins as losses at 14-7.  Moore is second on the team in technical falls with five.  Jacob Cochran, 126, lost his last match against Lockport but still had a tournament with four wins to improve his record to 21-5.  Cochran is second on the team in wins and shares the lead in falls with 13.  Vince Bern, 132, did not find success against Lockport but he also finished the tournament 4-2 and improves to 16-4 for his record.  Bern leads the team in takedowns with 47 and has five total technical falls.  Austin Schiltz lost 13-3 verses Lockport.  Stavros ended the day on a high note with a 12-6 major decision and his fourth win of six.  Gerousis, now 15-11, wrestles at 144 pounds.  The Porters won the next three matches at 150, 157 and 165 in the dual.  CJ Bierman added two wins from the Flavin to improve to 13-6.  Justin Skryd lost by fall at 157.  Nicolas Olvera lost at 165 but had two Flavin wins.  Captain Henry Rydwelski, 175, capped a five win event to improve to 23-1 for the season.  Rydwelski continues to impress with seven wins by fall, four wins by technical fall and 45 takedowns this season.  Wrestling at 190, Paul Peradotti also had a 5-1 record for a 17-2 record on the season.  Peradotti is third in the pin category with 11.

Central Girls Finish 8th at 37 Team Ottawa Holiday Hootenanny

12/30/2024

The Naperville Central Girls Wrestling Team finished an impressive 8th place at the 37-Team Ottawa Holiday Hootenanny wrestling tournament.  Morris won the event and hosts Ottawa too second place. 

Senior Leader Ellen Purl had a great tournament placing second in the 120 pound Elite Bracket.  Purl earned falls over Lustrup of Oswego East and Lacey of OPRF to make the finals.  Fellow Senior Annika Hull also earned two falls in her efforts to make the championship match at the 100 pound Varsity Bracket.  Her semifinal victim was Fuentes of Plainfield South.  Sophomore Arianna Rico wrestled back to fourth place in the Elite 145 weight division.  Rico won a key match over Rios of Sandwich in the wrestle backs.  Gracie Meluch finished 2-2 in the 115 pound Varsity Bracket and Melva Gallego-Sugar won a match in the same bracket.  Three Lady Redhawks wrestled in the junior varsity bracket.  Both Alejandra Perez Delgado and Bella Lopez opened the tournament with a 2-0 start to face each other in the 105 pound bracket.  Lopez came out on top, winning gold while Perez Delgado finished with silver.

Naperville Central Hosts Girls Tournament – Two Finish First

1/4/2025

Naperville Central Girls added two more golds to their medal cabinet with terrific efforts at the Naperville Central Girls Wrestling Tournament.  No team scores were kept.  Eighteen teams were invited to face each other in the first battle of the new year.  All nine Redhawk wrestlers came away with a place.  The Hawks won 17 matches, 14 by fall and one by technical fall against just 10 losses. 

Earning gold for NCHS was standout Dezi Azar (125) and Arianna Rico (140).  Azar won all three matches including two pins to earn her first place standing.  Azar battled to a 3-1 decision over Cobix of Pontiac in the finals.  Azar is now 19-3 on the season.  Rico finish on top of the podium for the first time in her young career.  Rico won all three matches in a 4-man round-robin including a 10-2 major decision over Cervantes of Kaneland.  Rico is now 16-8 this season.

Seniors Annika Hull (100) and Ellen Purl (120) each reached the finals and finished in second place.  Hull looked dominant in wins of 17-2 (technical fall) and a first period pin before facing highly ranked Katelyn Bell of Montini in the finals.  Hull carries an impressive 16-7 record.  Purl scored two pins enroute to her trip to the finals.  Purl is 17-8 this year.

Bianca Arredondo (125) finished 2-1 on the day and earned a third place finish, including a big win by fall over Lazzara of Addison Trail in the final second of her medal match.  Arredondo is 17-8 this season.  Melva Gallego-Sugar, now 11-8 at 115 pounds, won a huge match for third place at the tournament against Paton of Kaneland.  Alejandra Perez Delgado and Bella Lopez each finished with a 1-2 record, good enough for 4th place.  Both Perez Delgado and Lopez won their matches by fall.  Brenna Berkowitz earned her fifth win of the season with a pin over Soteropoulos of Maine South.  Berkowitz finished in sixth place.

Naperville Central Wins Knight Invitational

1/4/2025

• 1 Naperville Central 311.5

• 2 Buffalo-Grove 247.0

• 3 Zion Benton 161.0

• 4 Chicago Ag Science 110.0

• 4 Sarah Goode STEM 110.0

• 6 Crete Monee 98.0

• 7 Northridge Prep 96.0

• 8 Little Village 76.0

• 9 Kelly 72.5

• 10 Chicago Military Academy  61.5

• 11 Eisenhower 51.0

• 12 Lindblom 46.5

• 13 Westinghouse 44.0

• 14 Ridgewood 23.5

Naperville Central won the 14 team Knight Invitational hosted by Chicago Sarah Goode STEM Academy.  Central wrestlers won 39 matches against only 9 losses with 23 wins by fall and 9 wins by technical fall.  The Hawks advanced ten of their 14 wrestlers to the finals and seven wrestlers came away champions.  All fourteen wrestlers placed in the tournament.

Sophomore Justin Skryd broke out with three pins and a technical fall to bring home the gold at 157 pounds.  Senior captain Will Erbeck scored three pins in a row to win the tournament at heavyweight.  CJ Bierman got the blue ribbon, winning all three matches 150 pounds.  Juniors Paul Peradotti (190) and Vince Bern (138) both got to stand on top of the podium.  Senior captain Henry Rydwelski improved to 26-1 after winning all three matches at 175 pounds.  Junior Jake Cochran needed only two wins to get the first place medal, both were by fall.

Three Redhawks made the championship match and took second place.  Junior Dalton Meluch just missed earning gold, but still came away with a record of 2-1 wrestling at 106 pounds.  Jake Moore looked tough at 120, scoring two wins for his second place finish.  Sophomore Nick Olvera (165) earned a trip to the finals by winning three matches at the Knight Invite.

Jack Schwartz (113), James Ball (126), and Stavros Gerousis (144) all made the podium for a third place finish.  All three wrestlers finished with a 3-1 record Ball, a freshman, wrestled at 126 and is now 8-5 on the year.  Schwartz and Gerousis both scored two falls apiece.  Jayden Davis, wrestling at 215 pounds, earned his first ever varsity win at the event, and the repeated the effort with a second win.  Davis finished 2-3 and a 6th place finish.

Naperville Central Defeats DVC Foe Metea Valley

1/9/2025

Naperville Central traveled to Metea Valley and defeated the Mustangs 76-6.  Metea Valley honored their seniors prior to the dual.  Only five matches were contested as the Mustangs forfeited nine weight classes.  Winners for the Redhawks were James Ball, Vince Bern, CJ Bierman, and Nick Olvera.  Ball and Olvera both won by fall while Bierman and Bern each picked up wins by technical fall.  Central won the JV competition 77-0 and won the freshman matchup 62-17.  Metea matched up only three in the girls competition and the Mustangs won all three.

Naperville Central defeated Metea junior varsity team 77-0 and freshman team 62-17 freshman.

Central Tops Morton

1/10/2025

Naperville Central improved to 16-3 on the 2024-2025 season after defeating Berwyn-Cicero Morton High School by a score of 71-6.  The Redhawks won 12 of the 13 contested matches and earned one win by forfeit.  Six matches were won by fall and five more by technical fall.  Central racked up 38 takedowns against their opponents.

Winers by technical fall were Dalton Meluch (106), Jake Moore (120), Vince Bern (132), Stavros Gerousis (138), and Henry Rydwelski (175).  Winners by fall were Jack Schwartz (113), Bradley Anderson (144), CJ Bierman (150), Nick Olvera (165), Paul Peradotti (190) and William Erbeck (285).  Jacob Cochran (126) won his match by major decision by a score of 21-12.

Central won the JV1 dual by a score of 68-12 and won the JV2 matchup 44-21.  The Redhawks won the freshman dual 76-17.

Central’s girls competed well against Morton winning nine of the eleven matches where they faced each other.  All wins by the Lady Redhawks were by fall except Annika Hull (100) who won her match by technical fall 17-2.  NCHS winners were Melva Gallego-Sugar (115), Gracie Meluch (120), Ellen Purl (120), Dezi Azar (125) Bianca Arredondo (130) and Arianna Rico (140).  Both Arredondo and Rico won two matches.

Central Hosts Three Top Schools in Home Quad

1/11/2025

• Naperville Central 21 – Glenbard North 47

• Naperville Central 29 – Oak Park River Forest 41

• Naperville Central 35 – Homewood Flossmoor 38

The Naperville Central Redhawks are now 16-6 on the season after dropping three tough duals at home.  Combined, Central won 16 matches and lost 26.  Two Hawks won all three matches and three others finished 2-1.

Against Glenbard North, Central won four matches.  At 132, Vince Bern earned a decision 13-6.  Nick Olvera earned a fall in the final seconds of his match at 165.  Henry Rydwelski locked down a first period fall at 175 and Will Erbeck matched with a first period pin at 285.

The Redhawks came away with six individual victories against Oak Park River Forest.  Jack Schwartz placed his opponent’s shoulders to the mat at 113 pounds in the second period.  Vince Bern, 132, got his second victory of the day with a technical fall 17-1.  Nick Olvera, 165 scratched out a second win with a 10-3 decision.  Henry Rydwelski, 175, scored a second hand-raiser with a 19-3 technical fall.  Paul Peradotti, wrestling at 190, won 15-1 and Will Erbeck got a pin in the second period of his match at 285.

Central won three matches against Homewood Flossmoor in the final match and were given three more by forfeits.  Receiving wins by forfeit were CJ Bierman (150), Paul Peradotti (175) and Nithilan Gandi (215).  Stavros Gerousis got the Hawks on the board with a second period fall at 138.  Nick Olvera made the day a perfect 3-0 for himself with a technical fall win 18-3 at 165.  Captain Will Erbeck anchored the team at heavyweight with a third fall for the day.  Erbeck is 26-1 on the year and leads the team in falls with 20.

Central Girls Make History

1/11/2025

In school history, Naperville Central had not competed in a scored dual until they travelled to Oswego for a three duals.  NCHS has eleven girls on the roster covering eight of the fourteen weight classes, so winning a dual is a tall order.  Central defeated St. Charles East in dual number one for the school’s first ever win by a girls team.  The Lady Redhawks were defeated in the other two duals against host Oswego and Joliet West, mainly due to their forfeits.  In all, the team won 19 matches against 7 losses, with all 19 wins by fall.

The historic win had a 155 starting weight class.  St. Charles East took forfeit wins at 155, and 170 to take a 12-0 team score lead.  Weight classes 190 and 235 were double forfeited.  Annika Hull started off the scoring with a first period fall over Espinoza at 100 pounds.  Sophomore Alejandra Perez Delgado came from behind and posted a second period pin over Dunham.  That tied the team score at 12.  After a double forfeit at 110 and a victory by Saints 115 pounder Stieb over Gallego-Sugar, St. Charles East regained the team score lead.  That is when Naperville Central ran off three consecutive first period falls.  Gracie Meluch scored on a headlock for her fall at 120.  Ellen Purl solved Rivas at 125 pounds.  Azar needed 31 seconds at 130 to top Santelli.  When the three wins were completed, the damage was done.  Central lead 30-17.  Central’s Berkowitz and Rico were both defeated at 135 and 140 respectively, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.  After a double forfeit at 145, the Redhawks got the green light to start celebrating with a 30-29 win.

Central Girls were unable to win their next two duals due to their small team, but performed very well in both contests.  Central lost 40-36 against Oswego but won six of the eight matches.  Wins were posted by Hull, Perez Delgado, Meluch, Purl, Azar and Rico.

Verses Joliet West, Central lost 42-36 but the Lady Redhawks won seven matches against one loss.  Annika Hull won by fall for her third win of the day at 100 pounds.  She improves to 20-8 on the season and leads the team with 32 takedowns.  Aleandra Perez Delgado proved that she is somebody after pinning her third girl in a row, the last two wrestling up a weight class at 110 pounds.  Perez sits at 11-14 on the season.  Gracie Meluch defeated her opponent from Joliet West for her third win at 115 pounds.  Meluch is now 17-8.  Melva Gallego-Sugar earned a quick mat-slapper in just 19 seconds of her 115 pound match.  She finished the day 1-1 and carries a 13-10 record.  Ellen Purl, 120 added three more pins.  Her record is 21-8 with 20 of those wins coming by fall.  She shares the team lead in falls with 125 pounder Dezi Azar.  Azar has the most wins on the team after a 3-0 day.  She needed only 34 seconds in her West match to improve to 23-3.  Bianca Arredondo, 125 battled a bad cold and 130 pounders all day, finishing 1-2 on the trip.  She has twice as many wins as losses with a record of 20-10.  Senior Brenna Berkowitz ended the day with a second period fall, finishing 1-2.  Arianna Rico lost in her final match to West, but still came away with a win on the trip.  Her record is 19-11.

Naperville Central Girls Battle at Batavia Scramble

1/15/2025

Naperville Central girls wrestling team traveled to Batavia for a scramble event to get some matches as a warmup to their upcoming tournament on Friday.  All ten Lady Redhawks took to the mat with each girl getting at least two matches.  Finishing undefeated on the trip were Gracie Meluch (120), Ellen Purl (120), Arianna Rico (145), Melva Gallego-Sugar (115), and Dezi Azar (125).

Naperville Central Defeats Waubonsie Valley on Senior Night

1/16/2025

Naperville Central Boys finished the DVC dual season undefeated (5-0) after downing the Waubonsie Valley Warriors at home.  The date featured honoring senior boys, girls and managers and their parents.  The Redhawks won 75-6, winning eight of nine matches, six by fall and one more by technical fall.  Central earned five wins by forfeit.  Central finished the regular season of dual meets with a record of 17-6.

After the Warriors forfeited to Dalton Meluch (106), Central’s Jack Schwartz won by major decision over Goldman by a score of 12-0 at 113 pounds.  Waubonsie forfeited to Jake Moore and Jacob Cochran (120, 126).  NCHS Senior Gavin McDonald battled Dufield at 132 in a back-and-forth affair before McDonald earned a fall late in the third period.  WV forfeited to Stavros Gerousis at 138 ahead of senior Bradley Anderson’s pin over Moore at 150 pounds.  Anderson 144 win came in the third period.  The seniors from Central continued to shine as CJ Bierman locked Luna-Ramos’ shoulders to the mat at 150 for another first period pin.  Central’s Yusuf Sikander picked up the last forfeit by Waubonsie at 157.

Redhawk senior Quinn O’Donnell took the mat against Allen at 165 and earned a mat-slapper in the second period.  Senior and captain Henry Rydwelski battled to a technical fall victory over Warrior Pretkelis at 175.  The score, 18-3.  Central’s Paul Peradotti needed only 31 seconds to defeat Martin at 190.  Jordan Hatchett of Waubonsie Valley earned the only win for the Warriors.  In perhaps the most exciting match of the night, Redhawk senior and Captain William Erbeck scored a second period fall over Hobson.

Central won the JV1 contest 72-9 and the JV2 contest 65-18.  Waubonsie Valley won the freshman dual by a score of 42-40.  In girls matches, Arianna Rico won her match by fall.  Senior Brenna Berkowitz wrestled under the light in a back-and-forth match but was defeated.

Senior recognized on Senior night include Bradley Anderson, who plans to study fish ecology and compete on the bass fishing team.  Bianca Arredondo will be attending Western Illinois University to major in law enforcement and justice administration.  Jackson Bell will be attending COD to pursue a nursing degree.  Brenna Berkowitz will be playing softball and studying interior design at College of DuPage.  CJ Bierman hopes to major in aviation in college.  Will Erbeck will be looking to major in business management and finance in college.  Nithilan Gandhi will be going to college for kinesiology or health sciences in hopes of becoming a physician’s assistant.  Annika Hull will be going to college to major in accounting.  William Kotecki will be looking to study biology next year.  Look for Bella Lopez at COD majoring in health sciences.  Gavin McDonald will be a Hawkeye at the University of Iowa and majoring in Engineering.  Quinn O’Donnell is heading north to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to study business.  Ellen Purl hope to learn film production.  We will see this star produce stars.  Henry Rydwelski and Jack Schwartz will join Gavin at Iowa.  Henry will study nursing while Jack will major in criminology and chemistry.  Manager Chanelle Phillips will also study nursing.  She will be attending Loyola.  Finally, manager Rhea Thankachen will be a Huskie at Northern Illinois University to study biology and become a medical examiner.

Good luck to all the seniors!!

Central Girls Show Grit at Batavia Invitational

1/17/2025

With only seven scorers, the Naperville Central Girls placed 9th of 18 teams at the very competitive Batavia Girls Invitational.  Incredibly, the Redhawks were in the top three after two rounds of competition.  Central won 22 matches against 15 losses as a team in this final tournament tune-up for IHSA Regionals in two weeks.  Five Lady Redhawks out of ten placed in the tournament and four of the five won their place matches.

The top place winner for Central was sophomore 115 pounder Gracie Meluch.  Meluch won her first two matches by fall to advance to the semifinals against Garcia from Huntley.  In that match, Meluch battled to a 17-8 victory to advance to the finals.  Meluch fell to Figueroa of Andrew to finish in second place.  Meluch is now 22-9.  Two Hawks won three of four matches and placed third.  Ellen Purl, 120, scored three falls including a first period pin for third place over Lustrup of Oswego.  Purl leads the team in falls with 25 and has a 26-9 record this season.  Dezi Azar, 125, is now 28-4 after her bronze medal performance.  Azar won by fall over Lenart of Batavia in her place match.

Sophomore Arianna Rico won the most matches at the tournament with four and finished 4-1 for a fifth place award.  Rico, 140, had to defeat the same opponent twice: Marin-Carrasco of West Aurora to win her place match.  Rico is now tied with Purl on the team with 26 wins and Rico leads the team in takedowns with 41.  Also taking 5th place was 100-pound standout Annika Hull.  Hull, poorly seeded faced top ranked Enos of Batavia in the quarterfinals, losing by technical fall, but came roaring back with three straight wins to place.  Hull pinned Llanos of Aurora for her podium placement and is now 25-10 this season.  Up-and-comer Melva Gallego-Sugar saw the most mat time, going the distance in three of her four matches.  Gallego-Sugar was nearly won in both of her defeats, losing 8-9 and 4-5, and came within a point of placing.  The rookie is now 17-12 this season.  Senior mainstay Bianco Arredondo, 125, added two more wins to her record and finished 2-2 on the day to improve to 22-14 this year.  Arredondo’s two wins were both by fall.  Both 105 pounders Ale Perez Delgado and Bella Lopez won a match at the tournament, Perez Delgado against Villa of McHenry, and Lopez over Jackson of Batavia.  Brenna Berkowitz faced top ranked Stalley in the first round.  She lost of her matches at the tournament at 140.

Naperville Central Wins Marty Williams Invitational

1/18/2025

• 1 Naperville Central High School 458.5

• 2 Normal Community High School 451.5

• 3 Ft. Zumwalt North High School 356.5

• 4 Rochelle High School 354.0

• 5 Mahomet - Seymour High School 310.5

• 6 Rock Island High School 301.5

• 7 Belleville West High School 286.5

• 8 Morris High School 274.0

• 9 Rockford East High School 236.5

• 10 Burbank St. Laurence High School 229.0

• 11 Mattoon High School 217.5

• 12 Mt. Zion High School 215.5

• 13 Lincoln High School 194.5

• 14 Champaign Central High School 171.0

• 15 Carbondale High School 169.0

• 16 Metamora High School 154.0

• 17 Normal Community West High School 149.5

• 18 Champaign Centennial High School 127.5

Naperville Central edged Normal Community West for the title at the Marty Williams Invitational hosted by Mahomet-Seymour High School.  There were 18 teams competing.  NCHS entered 16 wrestlers in the tournament with 14-point scorers and two “extras.”  Central won 52 matches to 25 losses.  Five Redhawks advanced to the finals and Central came away with two gold medals.

At 106 pounds, Dalton Meluch, 25-13, won four of five matches and placed 5th.  Meluch won by fall over Parker of Rock Island in his place match early in the second period.  Jack Fitzgerald entered the event as a non-scoring wrestler at 106 pounds and finished impressively with a 2-3 record with both wins coming by fall.  Fitzgerald carries a winning record of 7-5 at the varsity level this season.  Jack Schwartz finished 3-1 on the day but medically forfeited his place match to finish in 6th place.  Schwartz is 23-13 on the season.  List him as day-to-day on his injury.  Jake Moore, 120, completed the day with a record of 2-2 for a 7th place finish.  Moore pinned O’Dell of Carbondale in his place match earning two important bonus points.  Moore is 21-13.  At 126, Jacob Cochran won four of five matches placing 5th at his weight class.  His final match was a hard fought 11-4 decision over Tristen Porter of Mattoon.  Cochran becomes a 30 match winner this season, 30-9.  Also wrestling at 126 was freshman James Ball.  Ball ended the day with a big win over Noonan of Mahomet-Seymour.  The freshman Ball is 11-8.

Surely the top performer for the Redhawks was junior standout Vince Bern, wrestling at 132 pounds.  Bern racked up 16 takedowns in his five wins to bring home gold.  In the semifinals, Bern outlasted Rader of Normal Community West by a score of 19-12 in a match that could have decided the tournament.  In the finals, Bern needed overtime to defeat Burkemper of Ft. Zumwalt North (Missouri) by a score of 11-9.  Stavros Gerousis added four wins to his record after a workmanlike day at 138 pounds.  Three of Gerousis’ wins came by fall including this 7th place match over King of Rock Island.  Senior Bradley Anderson checked in for the Hawks and finished with a record of 2-3 good enough for a 10th place finish.  Anderson is 6-6 at the varsity level.

Senior CJ Bierman, 150, won four matches in a row, three of which were pins to make the finals.  Bierman fell short of gold, losing 5-2 to Neal of Metamora but his bonus points proved critical to the team championship.  Bierman is 24-9 on the year.  Young Justin Skryd had an impressive day wrestling at 157 pounds.  Skryd did not let his varsity effort go by with adding four wins out of five on the day.  Skryd won his 5th place match by technical fall by a score of 18-3.  Nick Olvera, 165, added 11 takedowns from the day’s efforts.  Olvera advanced to the championship bracket after winning his first three matches.  Olvera finished in 4th place and is 25-11.

The Redhawk Captain Henry Rydwelski scored four consecutive technical falls in this route to the championship match.  The senior pushed his opponent to triple overtime before succumbing to Casillas of host Mahomet-Seymour 3-2.  Rydwelski lead the team in wins with 35 against only 3 losses.  Paul Peradotti, 190 also won four matches in a row in route to his match in the finals including a hard fought 4-2 decision over Vallalobos of Rochelle.  Peradotti lost in the finals to finish with a silver medal.  Peradotti has an impressive 29-4 record this season.  Jayden Davis earned a varsity win wrestling at 215 pounds.  Davis was able to win by fall over Torres of Mahomet-Seymour.  Davis placed 12th.

Naperville Central lead the team score throughout the day, only to have Normal Community West to overtake the team score lead during the place matches.  Central, down by 1.5 team points, looked to Will Erbeck to win in the final match of the entire tournament.  Earlier, Erbeck earned a trip to the finals with four consecutive wins by fall.  Erbeck faced off against Matthews of Belleville West for individual and team gold.  Matthews started the scoring with a takedown for three points, but Erbeck was able to escape to make the score 3-1.  In period two, Erbeck picked the down position and earned another escape for to make the score 3-2 Matthews.  Then, a minute into the second period, Erbeck got the takedown and pin.  The win brings Erbeck’s rockstar record to 31-1 with 25 of those wins coming by fall, none more impressive than tonight’s.

NCHS Girls Dual Joliet West

11/23/2025

The Naperville Central Girls team travelled to Joliet West for a dual for a final turn up prior to the upcoming IHSA Girls Regional Tournament next week.  Against Joliet West Central girls won six of eight matches with all wins coming by falls.  Winners were Annika Hull, Melva Gallago-Sugar, Ellen Purl, Bianca Arrendondo, Dezi Azar, and Brenna Berkowitz.  The IHSA Regional will take place at Hinsdale South High School January 31 – February 1.  Top four finishers at each weight class will advance to the IHSA Girls Regional two weeks later with a chance to qualify for state.

NCHS Junior Varsity 2 Team Wins DVC

11/24/2025

The NCHS Junior Varsity 2 Team won the DuPage Valley Conference Tournament at home outscoring second place Naperville North 252 to 166.  Metea Valley took third with 92 points.  Of the fourteen weight classes, Central won seven championships.   DVC Champions that were crowned include Daniel Liaw, Cayden Castro, Blake Highhouse, Reid Balis, Logan Hornbacker, Yash Menon and Josh Melsa.

• Holden Greene's place is 4th at 106

• Alexi Aguinaldo's place is 2nd at 106

• Gibson Berkowitz's place is 5th at 106

• Oliver Kukis's place is 3rd at 113

• Daniel Liaw's place is 1st at 120

• Mac Satre-Morales's place is 2nd at 120

• Cayden Castro's place is 1st at 126

• Luke Moore's place is 2nd at 126

• Aidyn Rodriguez's place is 3rd at 132

• Cooper Kozielski's place is 6th at 132

• Blake Highhouse's place is 1st at 132

• Jad Salem's place is 3rd at 138

• Drew Schneider's place is 6th at 138

• Luke Manganiello's place is 4th at 144

• Reid Balis's place is 1st at 144

• Richard Bain's place is 5th at 144

• Jack Sjordal's place is 3rd at 144

• Connor Parkhurst's place is 4th at 150

• Alex Paupore's place is 6th at 150

• Logan Hornbaker's place is 1st at 150

• Evan Kerrins's place is 6th at 157

• Tyler Gonzalez's place is 5th at 157

• Ethan Pangman's place is 3rd at 157

• Yash Menon's place is 1st at 165

• Zayd Qureshi's place is 4th at 165

• Eli Mallory's place is 5th at 165

• Mason Betz-Waters's place is 2nd at 165

• Johnny Clermont's place is 3rd at 175

• Jayden Davis's place is 2nd at 215

• Josh Melsa's place is 1st at 215

Naperville Central Edged out at DVC Conference

11/24/2025

1. DeKalb 290.5

2. Naperville (Central) 290.0

3. Naperville (North) 247.5

4. Naperville (Neuqua Valley) 104.5

5. Aurora (Waubonsie Valley) 80.5

6. Aurora (Metea Valley) 50.0

Naperville Central was edged out of a team DVC Championship by DeKalb by half of one point.  The tournament was held at Naperville Central high school.  Central held a 11.5 point lead heading into the final round, but DeKalb took the team lead within the first four weight classes.  Central made a big comeback in three of the final four weight classes, but fell short.  Naperville Central wrestlers did not leave empty handed as ten of the fourteen entered made the finals and five wrestlers were crown DVC Champion, lead by Jacob Cochran who was named the Al Collins Outstanding Wrestler for the 106-132 pound divisions.

Cochran, now 33-9 advanced to the finals after defeating Gallagher of Metea Valley by fall.  In the finals, Cochran won by major decision over Connor McDonald by a score of 12-4.  Vince Bern followed Cochran’s win with a championship of his own.  Bern, junior 31-5, is now a two time DVC champion after having won as a freshman in 2023.  Bern needed sudden victory overtime to defeat Ayden Shuey of DeKalb in the finals.

Naperville Central brought home individual DVC championships at three of the final four weight classes starting with Henry Rydwelski (38-3, 175).  Rydwelski won both of his matches by technical fall, a 16-1 win over Strange of Neuqua Valley and a 17-1 win in the finals over Mora of DeKalb.  Central’s Paul Peradotti (Jr. 32-4, 190 pounds) became a DVC Champion with wins over Martin of Waubonsie Valley by fall and Brady Valle of Naperville North by technical fall 19-3.  In the final match of the tournament, Will Erbeck improved to 34-1 after winning his blue-ribbon match by fall over Jeremiah Pineira of DeKalb.  Erbeck wins his second DVC title in as many years.

Five additional Redhawks advanced to the finals and finished in second place.  Dalton Meluch is now 27-14 at 106 pounds after his efforts in the tournament.  Meluch won by technical fall over Quinn Karstens of Naperville North in the semifinal round before succumbing to Bradley of DeKalb.  Jack Schwartz, 113 fell just short of a title losing to Adam Beedon of Naperville North 12-8 after a big comeback.  Schwartz is now 25-14.  Jake Moore, 23-14, 120 advanced to the finals after winning by fall over Bandla of Neuqua.  Moore faced Ryan Beedon of Naperville North in the finals as was defeated in sudden victory overtime by a score of 12-9 to finish runner-up.  At 138 pounds, Stavros Gerousis, 28-16, fell just one point short of a DVC title, losing 4-3 to Ben Messier of Naperville North.  Gerousis won 11-0 over Izaguirre of DeKalb in the semifinals.  Sophomore Nick Olvera made the finals by winning by technical fall over JT Hill of Naperviile North 22-5.  Olvera lost by fall in the finals to Kolkebeck of DeKalb.

Two more Redhawks finished in third place in the DVC’s.  CJ Bierman, 27-10, finished in third place at 150 pounds.  Beirman won his place match over Curtis Burke of Neuqua Valley by major decision 15-3.  At 144 pounds, Austin Schiltz defeated Max Venecia of Naperville North by decision 8-5 in his bronze medal bout.  Yusuf Sikander, 15-15 at 157 pounds finished 2-2 in the tournament in fourth place.  Newcomer Nate Sadowski finished in fourth place at 215.

Next up for the Redhawks varsity team is the IHSA Regional Tournament held at Naperville North High School February 8.  The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the IHSA Sectionals the following week with a chance to qualify for state.

Naperville Central Advances Two Girls to IHSA Sectionals

2/1/2025

Naperville Central sent eight girls to the IHSA Girls Regional Tournament and finished in 8th place out of 29 teams.  The tournament was held at Hinsdale South High School.  Two Redhawks placed in the top four and therefore advance to the IHSA Girls Sectional meet to be hosted by Schaumburg.  Those were Dezi Azar, second place at 125 pounds and Arianna Rico, fourth place at 140 pounds.  Central girls finished with a record of 20-15 as a team and sent five wrestlers to the consolation semifinals, otherwise known as the “blood round.”  All eight wrestlers won at least one match.

Sophomore Dezi Azar made her way to the finals with three consecutive pins including a fall against Lenart of Batavia in the semifinals.  Azar, now 32-5 at 125 pounds, battled O’Connor of Lemont in the championship match and took a 6-0 lead into the third period.  O’Connor took advantage of her opportunity in the top position and scored a late fall over Azar.  With her first win of the tournament, Azar becomes the first girl in Naperville Central history to become a 30-match winner for the season.  Fellow Sophomore Arianna Rico, who is 29-15 at 140 pounds, punched her ticket to sectionals with a 10-3 decision over Galvan of Glenbrook in the consolation semifinals, a wrestler she defeated twice in the same day.  Rico finished with a 3-2 record and a fourth-place finish.

Four Redhawk Seniors made it all the way to the blood round in the tournament.  Annika Hull, 100, lost in the quarterfinals, but came back with two falls.  Hull took a 5-0 lead into the third period against Satander of Romeoville but was defeated by fall.  Hull finishes her season with a record of 28-12.  Ellen Purl, 120, won her first match in the tournament but was defeated in the quarterfinals.  Purl fought back in the wrestle-backs with two tough wins.  In the blood round, Purl faced top seeded Moore of Metea Valley.  Down 1-4, Purl scored the tying takedown late in the match, only to give up an escape in the final seconds.  Purl’s three victories in the tournament makes her a 30-match winner in the season, finishing 30-11.  Three year starter and senior Bianca Arrendondo wrestled in the tournament at 130 and also finished 3-2 on the day.  Arredondo scored victories in the wrestle-backs over Harried of Batavia by technical fall 17-1 and Fukah of Downers Grove South by fall before losing to Crescenzo of Lisle by fall in the consolation semifinals.  Arrendondo finishes a workmanlike season with a record of 26-16 with 22 falls.  First year senior Brenna Berkowitz finished 1-2 in the tournament with her victory over Contreras of Waubonsie Valley.  Berkowitz avenged a loss from just last week against Contreras.  Fellow senior Bella Lopez won two matches by fall and finished the tournament at 2-2.

Gracie Meluch, 115, battled back after a first-round loss to win three matches by fall in a row in the wrestle backs including a pin against Thornton of Lemont that advanced Meluch to the blood round.  In that consolation semifinal, Meluch, down 0-6, threw a headlock to move up 7-6, but was reversed in the final seconds to fall 6-7 to Molina of West Aurora.  Meluch finished 3-2 in the tournament and a 25-11 record.

Sectionals will be competed at Schaumburg High School February 14-15.  Azar and Rico will be battling for a chance to qualify for the IHSA Girls State Tournament.

Naperville Central JV1 Team Wins DVC

2/1/2025

1 Naperville (Central) 254.0

2 Naperville (North) 242.0

3 DeKalb 194.0

4 Aurora (Waubonsie Valley) 100.5

5 Naperville (Neuqua Valley) 94.5

6 Aurora (Metea Valley) 39.0

The Naperville Central Junior Varsity team won the DuPage Conference Tournament edging out Naperville North by 12 points.  The tournament was hosted by Metea Valley High School.  The Redhawks won 23 matches to 14 losses and locked down 16 wins by fall. 

Central advanced 11 wrestlers to the finals and three wrestlers were crowned DVC Champions.  They were William Kotecki at 150 pounds, Justin Skryd at 157 pounds and Caelon Young at 175 pounds.

Finalists and silver medal winners were Jack Fitzgerald, 106, Josh Bern, 120, James Ball 126, Gavin McDonald 132, Tony Coclanes 138, Bradley Anderson, 144, Oscar Binkowski 150, Tyler Thornton, 190, and Mateo Besteiro, 285.  Placing third were Jack Fitzgerald, 106 and Calum Bohan, 165.  Nithilan Gandi placed 4th at 215 and Mauricio Perez-Gomez placed 5th at 165.

Naperville Central Finishes 2nd at IHSA Regional

Seven Redhawks Advance to Sectionals

2/8/2025

1 Orland Park (Sandburg) 208.5

2 Naperville (Central) 155.0

3 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West) 147.0

4 Downers Grove (North) 131.5

5 Bolingbrook 92.5

6 Naperville (North) 77.0

7 Lombard (Glenbard East) 56.5

8 Villa Park (Willowbrook) 25.0

Naperville Central finished in second place at the IHSA Individual Regional Tournament hosted by Naperville North.  The tournament was won by Sandburg High School.  Seven Redhawks will move on to the IHSA Sectional with a chance to qualify for the state tournament.  In all, NCHS won 22 matches and lost 18.  Central sent six to the finals and three more to the third-place match.  With the top three wrestlers in each weight class qualifying for sectionals, that made the bronze medal matches the blood round.  Naperville Central battled Glenbard West for second place for most of the tournament, including all the way into the place matches.

Three individual Redhawks brought home gold.  Henry Rydwelski, 175, Paul Peradotti 190 and Will Erbeck advance to the IHSA Sectionals with a first place Regional finish under their belts.  All three were seeded first and received a first-round bye in the tournament.  Rydwelski defeated the fourth and third seeded wrestlers, the first against Gielarowski of Willowbrook by fall and the second against Alomari of Sandburg by major decision 13-3.  By winning in the finals, Rydwelski becomes a 40-match winner with a 40-3 record for the season.  Paul Peradotti scored wins against Heldson of Downers Grove North and Hoye of Sandburg (the second seed) in the tournament.  Peradotti’s semifinal win over Heldson was by fall and his final win over Hoye was by major decision 11-1.  Additionally, Peradotti’s win in the finals secured second place for Naperville Central over Glenbard East.  Peradotti will be 34-4 heading to sectionals.  Senior Will Erbeck completed the tournament without being scored upon.  In the semifinals, Erbeck won 8-0 over Alhmoud of Sandburg.  In the gold medal match, Erbeck squeaked by Rodriguez of DGN by a score of 1-0.  Erbeck’s record is not 36-1.  Due to their first-place finishes, Rydwelski, Peradotti and Erbeck will draw a first-round bye at sectionals.

Three more Hawks punched their tickets to sectionals by making the finals and finished in second place at the regionals.  Junior Dalton Meluch, 106 matched his seed after defeating Loud of GBE in the semifinals by a score of 12-3.  Meluch lost to Ortega of GBW in the finals, but will take his 28-15 record to next week.  Junior Captain Jacob Cochran, 126 scored a team best 10 takedowns in the regional tournament.  Cochran, seeded third, defeated McDonald by technical fall to open the tournament and defeated Hengles of DGN in the semifinals by major decision 9-0.  Cochran’s efforts in the finals fell short, losing to Prunty of GBW 10-6.  Cochran’s record is 35-10.  Senior 150 pounder CJ Bierman entered the regionals seeded second.  Bierman posted two consecutive decisions to make the finals, first 7-0 over Kelly of DGN and then 5-2 over Tortoriello of GBW in the semifinals.  Bierman lost to Sternstein of Naperville North in the finals, but will take his 29-11 record against his opponents next week.

Central had three individuals in the 3rd-4th place matches and sectional blood-round.  Vince Bern, wrestling in perhaps the most loaded weight in the tournament, 132, earned a bronze medal and a trip to sectionals.  Bern, seeded fourth, won his first match by fall over Peralta of GBE, but then lost to top-seeded Parker of Sandburg in the semifinals.  Needing two wins, Bern earned a fall late in his match over Arrendondo of NN.  In the blood round, Bern scored a takedown in the final seconds to win 4-1 over third-seeded Chiarelli of DGN.  Bern, 34-6 will move on.  Jack Schwartz, 113 finished the tournament 2-2.  Schwartz defeated Rahimi of DGN in the quarterfinals and Forsyth of GBE by fall in the consolation semifinals.  Schwartz fell to Neil of Willowbrook to take fourth place.  Schwartz finishes at 27-16 for the year.  Also taking fourth was Nick Olvera, 165.  Olvera defeated Hill of NN 16-10 in the quarterfinals, but lost a heartbreaker to Taylor of GBW 2-1.  Olvera locked down Mundinger’s (GBE) shoulders to the mat to make the third-place match.  There he battled Hochgraber of Sandburg through regulation and both overtimes to reach the “ultimate” tie breaker, but Olvera couldn’t hold on and lost 1-0.  Olvera, a sophomore, concludes the 24-25 season with a record of 29-14.  Both Schwartz and Olvera are listed as alternates for the sectionals.

Five Hawks competed but did not place in the tournament, with four winning at least one match.  At 138 pounds, Stavros Gerousis lost to 2nd seeded Ritter from Sandburg, Gerousis defeated Avila, Bolingbrook to move on to the consolation semifinals before falling to Chiarelli, Downers Grove North  who was seeded fourth.  Gerousis concludes his season with a 29-18 record.  Junior Austin Schiltz wrestling at 144 pounds also finished with a 1-2 record.  After losing to Camacho of Bolingbrook , the second seed, Schiltz, wrestling at 144 pounds defeated Salerno from Glenbard East by major decision 11-1.  Schiltz lost to Malunay of Glenbard West in the consolation semifinals.  Junior Nate Sadowski, 215 pounds had a similar regional experience losing to the 2nd and 4th seeds, Breish of Sandburg and Olona of DGN.  Sadowski scored a first period fall in the wrestle-backs over Yannias, Glenbard East.  Sophomore Justin Skryd, 157 earned a consolation round victory over Gallarza, GBE.  Skryd his other two matches and finishes the season 14-10.  Jake Moore lost to Tiancgo, DGN, the second seed and Beedon, Naperville North at 120 pounds.  Moore concludes his season with a record of 23-16.

The IHSA Boys Individual Sectional will be held at Hinsdale Central High School and the IHSA Girls Individual Sectional will be held at Schaumburg High School.  Both events will take place on Friday and Saturday, February 14-15.  The top four finishers out of 12 at both boys and girls sectionals will qualify for the state tournament.

Naperville Central Qualifies Four Wrestlers to State

Boys at IHSA Individual Sectional at Hinsdale Central:

·       Henry Rydwelski 175 1st place

·   Jacob Cochran 126 4th place

·       Will Erbeck 285 4th place

Girls at IHSA Individual Sectional at Schaumburg:

·       Dezi Azar 125 3rd place

Naperville Central will be adding four more names to the hollowed State Qualifier Board after this week’s IHSA Sectional Tournaments.  Seven boys competed at Hinsdale Central High School with three wrestlers qualifying for the IHSA Individual State Tournament.  They were: Jacob Cochran 126 pounds, 4th place, Will Erbeck 285 pounds, 4th place, and Henry Rydwelski 175 pounds, 1st place.  All three qualifiers are captains for the Redhawks.  Cochran is a junior, Rydwelski and Erbeck are seniors.  No team scores were kept.  Central won 12 matches against 11 losses.  Two girls competed at Schaumburg with Dezi Azar, 125 pounds, 3rd place becoming a state qualifier.  Host Schaumburg won the tournament.  Naperville Central placed 31st out of 63 teams.  The boys will compete at state next week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, February 20-22 at the State Farm Center in Urbana-Champaign on the campus of the University of Illinois.  Dezi Azar will complete Friday and Saturday, February 28 – March 1 at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington Illinois.

Henry Rydwelski defeated Vincenzo Testa of Marmion with a last second takedown to win 4-1 and finished with a gold medal. Rydwelski received a first-round bye due to his regional championship and qualified for the semifinals with a 18-2 technical fall over Chavez of West Aurora in the quarterfinals.  Rydwelski, 43-3, qualified for state by way of winning his semifinal match over Noah Green of Downers Grove South 7-2.  Rydwelski’s sectional championship puts him in a seeded position at the state tournament next week.

Will Erbeck, now 38-3, earned a quarterfinal fall in 45 seconds over Jimmy Hillmann of Lyons, but was defeated by Nycz of Marmion in the semifinals.  The loss forced Erbeck to the consolation semifinals and a blood-round state qualifying match against Peter Rodriguez of Downers Grove North.  There, Erbeck scored an escape and a penalty point from his opponent due to stalling and Erbeck held on for the 2-0 victory.  Erbeck dropped his third place to Jacobi Spraggins of Downers Grove South.  Will Erbeck is now a two time state qualifier.

Jacob Cochran, 38-11 at 126, punched his ticket to state after defeating Kyle Pasco of Batavia in the consolation semifinals by a score of 14-2.  After an opening loss, Cochran made his way through the consolation backet with three consecutive wins including his victory over Pasco.  Cochran finished in fourth place after falling to Prunty 4-3 of Glenbard West.

CJ Bierman opened with a solid 10-1 major decision in the first round over Curtis Burke of Neuqua Valley.  After a quarterfinal loss, Bierman locked down the shoulders of TaVayris Howard of Shepard to advance in the consolation bracket.  Bierman missed the blood-round match after losing to Tortoriello of Glenbard West 4-1.  Bierman completes his season with an impressive 31-13 record.

Vince Bern and turned in 1-2 record at the highly contested 132 weight bracket.  Bern, 35-8 at 132, lost in the first round but came back to defeated Nathan Duffield of Waubonsie Valley in a 18-14 shootout.

Paul Peradotti, 35-6 at 190 pounds, finished 1-2 in his efforts at sectionals with a win by fall over Contreras of Morton in the first period of that match.  Peradotti was edged out by a point to Segerson of Mt. Carmel by a score of 5-4.

Dalton Meluch made his first appearance at a sectional tournament but lost in both of his challenges.  Meluch put up a fight in round one losing a 11-8 battle to Hayes of Sandburg.  Meluch finishes up with a 28-17 record.

Dezi Azar becomes Naperville Central’s second all-time girl state qualifier, taking third place at 125 pounds.  Azar won four matches to one loss.  Round one saw Azar battle into the third period, scoring a fall at 5:08 over Isabella Nelson of Richmond Burton.  In the quarterfinals, Azar used a knee-pick to throw Isabella Rivas of Schaumburg to her back for 48 second fall.  In the semifinals, Azar faced off with Elise Burkut of Wheeling.  Azar took a 3-3 tie into the third period, but couldn’t hold on, losing by fall late in the last period.  Needing a victory in the Blood Round, Azar took an early lead and built on that lead throughout the match for a 16-7 major decision against Valentina Fantoni of Glenbard West to become a state qualifier.  Azar took third place after O’Connor of Lemont medically forfeited.  Azar will carry her 36-6 record to Bloomington in two weeks.

Arianna Rico lost both of her matches at sectionals, the second to Isabella Miller of Oak Park River Forest.  Rico finished up with an impressive 29-17 record.

Redhawk Boys Compete at State

2/22/2025

Naperville Central advanced three wrestlers to the IHSA Individual State Tournament competed at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois.  Central athletes won three matches against five losses.

Senior Henry Rydwelski, competing at 175 pounds 3A, become the 26th wrestler in Naperville high School / Naperville Central High School to become a state place winner.  Naperville High School started its wrestling program in 1956 and their first state place winner was William Hoyt in 1962 (3rd at 120 pounds).

Rydwelski won his opening match against Issac Clauson of Joliet Catholic High School by a score of 8-1.  Rydwelski scored a single-leg takedown and four-point near-fall in the final 30 seconds of a 1-1 tie.  The win put Rydwelski in the quarterfinals where he faced Connor Diemel of Rockton Hononegah.  Diemel scored a 21-5 technical fall over Rydwelski.  The loss placed Rydwelski in the consolation bracket, round two.  In that match, Rydwelski faced off against Onizt of Glenbrook North.  Rydwelski scored three takedowns in the match, including two in the final period to advance with a 10-3 decision.

The victory moved Rydwelski to the consolation round three, otherwise known as the “blood-round” with a chance to become a state place-winner.  His opponent was Wittkamp of Fox Lake Grant.  Rydwelski scored a takedown off a shuck-single midway through the first period and gave up an escape for a 3-1 score.  In the second period, Rydwelski choose neutral and battled for the entire period, but no points were scored.  Third period saw Wittkamp score an escape after Rydwelski was called for stalling to make the score 3-2.  Rydwelski was able to fend off several takedown attempts and hold on for the 3-2 decision.  The win made Rydwelski a state place winner.

In the consolation semifinals, Rydwelski fell to Luke Zook of Yorkville by a score of 18-9.  Zook jumped out to a 6-1 lead after one period and a 13-3 lead after two periods.  Another takedown by Zook put him in position to win, but Rydwelski answered with a takedown and two point near-fall with a chance for a pin.  Zook was able to recover with a reversal for the win.

Henry Rydwelski faced off with Fabian Ramirez from Elgin in the 5th place match.  Ramirez jumped out to an early lead with a takedown.  Rydwelski forced two stalling calls against Ramirez, the second earning a point for Rydwelski.  An escape made the score 3-2 heading to the second period.  There, Rydwelski tied the score with another escape, but Ramirez answered with a takedown and four-point near-fall to take a 10-3 lead.  Ramirez added another takedown in the third period and Rydwelski promptly escaped.  He attempted several throws to get back into the match, but Ramirez fended them off for a 13-4 win.  Rydwelski finished 3-3 in state with six takedowns.  Rydwelski concludes his season with a 46-6 record, leading the team in technical falls with 14 and second on the team in the takedown category with 95 (Vince Bern 98).

Jacob Cochran competed at 126 pounds in the 3A tournament and finished 0-2.  In match one, Cochran faced Vince Jasinski of Fox Lake Grant.  Cochran gave up a fall in the first period at the 1:39 mark.  In the first round of consolation, Cochran took on Aye of St. Charles East.  Aye scored takedowns in each of the three periods.  Cochran scored two escapes it the second period.  Aye won by a score of 9-2.  Cochran, a junior, concludes his season as a state qualifier with a final record of 38-13.

Will Erbeck defaulted from the state tournament due to injury earlier in the week.  Erbeck finishes his senior year as a two-time state qualifier and a record of 38-3 with 27 of those wins coming by fall, a best for the team.

Next up the Redhawks will celebrate their season with their annual awards banquet which will be held at Naperville Central on Wednesday, February 26.  The awards banquet will double as a sendoff as well as Dezi Azar is set to complete in the IHSA Girls Individual State Tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 28 – March 1.

Naperville Central Celebrates Season

2/26/2025

The Naperville Central Wrestling Team reconvened on Wednesday, February 26 for their annual awards banquet held in the aux gym (wrestling room) at Naperville Central High School. There was much to celebrate.  The boys varsity finished 17-6 in duals and undefeated 5-0 in DuPage Valley Conference competition.  They took second in DVC tournament.  The boys placed in all tournaments including eighth at the Marmion Tournament, second at the Prospect Tournament, 14th at the DeKalb Dual Tournament, first at the Stem Tournament, first at the Mahomet-Seymour tournament, and second at IHSA Regionals.  Five individual boys were conference champions which tied a record for most individual champions in a single season.  They were Jacob Cochran, Vince Bern, Henry Rydwelski, Paul Peradotti, and Will Erbeck.  Those five wrestlers and CJ Bierman were also honored as DVC All-Conference wrestlers.  Cochran was named Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament.  Vince Bern and Will Erbeck are both two-time DVC conference champions.

The postseason saw seven boys qualify for IHSA Sectionals three of whom advance to the IHSA State Tournament Jacob Cochran, Henry Rydwelski and Will Erbeck.  Henry became NCHS’s 26th state place winner.

The girls team continued to progress with 11 total girls on the team.  They placed 7th at Niles West, 7th at Eisenhower, 11th at Pontiac, 4th at Chicago Curie, 8th at Ottawa, 9th at Batavia, 31st at Sectionals.  The team generally had only seven or eight scorers at the tournaments.  Two girls qualified for IHSA Sectionals, Dezi Azar and Arianna Rico with Dezi qualifying for IHSA State, only the second girl in NCHS history to qualify.

The combined under-level dual record was 27-8.  Both the JV1 and JV2 teams were DVC Tournament Champions.  The junior varsity, freshman-sophomore and freshman teams had outstanding seasons.  The junior varsity team took first at the Streamwood Dual Tournament, first at the Libertyville Tournament, first at the Bolingbrook, second at the Oswego (F / JV1 combined), and first at the DVC tournament.  The JV1 team was 15-3 in duals.

The freshman-sophomore and junior varsity 2 teams were also very successful this season taking first at Plainfield South F/S tournament, second at Maine South Freshman-Sophomore Tournament, third at the NCHS JV2 tournament, and first at the DVC tournament.  They were 6-2 in duals.

The Freshman team took first at the Lyons Township tournament and first at the Hinsdale South tournament.  They were 6-3 in duals this season year.

At the awards banquet, 22 wrestlers earned the “Iron Man” award given to wrestlers who did not miss any practices all season.  They were Bradley Anderson, James Ball, Vince Bern, CJ Bierman, Jacob Cochran, Stavros Gerousis, Nick Olvera, Paul Peradotti, Henry Rydwelski, Austin Schiltz, Jack Schwartz, Yusuf Sikander, Justin Skryd, Annika Hull, Ellen Purl, Nate Sadowski, Caelon Young, Mason Betz-Waters, Tyler Gonzalez, Cooper Kozielski, Jack Sjordal, and Daniel Ryba.

There were 14 Varsity Redhawks that earn Academic All-Conference honors.  They were Bradley Anderson, Henry Rydwelski, Jacob Cochran, Paul Peradotti, Austin Schiltz, Justin Skryd, James Ball, Brenna Berkowitz*, Annika Hull, Ellen Purl*, Melva Gallego-Sugar*, Sophia Liu*, Alejandra Perez Delgado, and Arianna Rico.  (* indicates GPA 4.0).

The varsity captains, Jacob Cochran Henry Rydwelski, and Will Erbeck were recognized.

The coaches gave tribute to the five outstanding managers that helped with statistics, table help and filming all season.  They were Chanelle Phillips, Rhea Thankachen, Sadi Lui, Giselle Sevilla, Arianna Thigpen.

Special awards were given to athletes voted on by coaches and team members.  The Most Valuable Wrestlers were Henry Rydwelski and Dezi Azar.  Most Inspirational Wrestlers were awarded to Will Erbeck and Ariana Rico.  The Hardest Worker Award was Henry Rydwelski.  Most Improved went to Nick Olvera.  The JV Wrestler of the Year was Caelon Young, and the Freshman Wrestler of the Year was Jack Fitzgerald.  The Red and White Award is given to a member of every sports team for outstanding athletic and academic achievement as well as leadership.  For boys and girls wrestling, the award winners were Will Erbeck and Annika Hull.  Annika becomes the very first recipient of the Red-White Award in school history.  Will and Annika will have their names listed on the Red-White board in the athletic hallway of Naperville Central High School.

The coaching staff thanks the parents for their support and dedication all season, especially to our parent representatives, social organizers Marie Erbeck and Katina Besteiro.  Special thanks to Angela Skryd, Kathleen Aguinaldo, Susan Peradotti, Lynn Mulech, and Karin Kukis.  Karen also stepped up to be volunteer chair for 25-26 wrestling season.  Michelle Skelton-did video for 2025 and will also volunteer co-chair for next year 25-26.  Coach Porter thanked the volunteer coaches Tina Azar, Mike and Lynn Meluch for there support all year with the girls team.  Tina was especially helpful in practices and meets.  Coach Fitzgerald thanked our administrators athletic director Jeff Plackett and secretary (and mom!) Vicki Sadowski.   Jeff Plackett and Vicki Sadowski as well as principal Jackie Thornton.  Coach Fitz thanked the Naperville Kids Wrestling Club including president (and dad!) Erwin Aguinaldo.  Finally, Coach Fitz thanked his assistant coaching staff which included Tim Lee, Chris Nutt, Luke Roth, Colin Baumgartner, and Nick Peradotti, Erwin Aguinaldo, Pat Murphy, with special help from Rob Porter.

Dezi Azar Places 6th at IHSA Girls Individual State

2/28/2025

Dezi Azar represented Naperville Central as the sole state qualifier at the IHSA Girls Individual State Tournament on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1 at the Grossinger Motor Arena in Bloomington Illinois.  Azar wrestled in the 125-pound weight class and entered the tournament with a record of 36-6.

The sophomore drew Alexis Seymour of Jacksonville in the round of 16 to open the tournament on Friday morning.  The first period ended scoreless.  Azar drew first blood with an escape in period 2, but Seymour answered with a fireman’s carry to take a 3-1 lead.  In period 3, Seymour choose top, but Azar scored an escape in just 8 seconds.  Seymour earned a point from a stalling penalty to make the score 4-2, but with 36 seconds remaining, Azar shot a double and scored a takedown and added near-fall points to end the match a 9-4 winner.

The win advanced Azar to the quarterfinals where she faced Gianna Arzer of Grayslake Central.  Azar scored a takedown in a tough first period battle and was able to finish the period on top.  Azar picked neutral to start the second period.  Gianna Arzer was able to score in a scramble and used the advantage to pin Azar in the second period.

Friday afternoon saw Dezi Azar in her third match of the day, this time in the consolation round 2 facing Nakya Scott of Chicago Lindblom.  After a couple of tight scramble situations, Azar got in on a single and finished taking Scott to her back for the fall.

That win advanced Azar to the consolation round 3, the blood-round, with a chance for a place on the state podium.  Wrestling took place on Saturday morning.  Her opponent was Lilly White of Bartlett.  Both wrestlers battled to a scoreless first period.  White chose bottom to start the second period and earned an escape.  With the rest of the period scoreless, Azar picked bottom to scoring an escape 24 seconds into the period.  Fifteen second later, Azar shot a double and finished near the edge of the mat for three.  White battled for an escape, but Azar was able to fend off a takedown attempt by White and lock down the victory 4-2.  The win made Dezi Azar Naperville Central’s first girl state place winner in school history, assuring her of at least sixth place.

In the consolation semifinals, Azar faced off against the number two seeded Brooklyn Sheaffer of Kaneland.  After a scoreless first period, Sheaffer scored an escape and takedown in the second to take a 4-0 lead into the third.  Sheaffer added a takedown and near-fall to defeat Azar 11-0.  Azar then moved to the 5th place match against Alexis Seymour of Jacksonville, the wrestler whom Azar beat in round one.  This time Seymour got the open hand scoring a fall in the second period of a 0-0 match.  Azar concludes her season on the podium with a 6th place finish in state and a final record of 39-9, the winningest wrestler in Redhawk history.