Hononegah wrestling: sectionals then state

Hononegah wrestling is crushing the competition as they make their way to the IHSA state tournament on Feb. 20-22, 2025, in Champaign, Illinois. Their most recent triumph was at the regional competition at Hononegah on Feb. 8, where 13 wrestlers placed in the top three, and eight of them took first in their weight class. These 13 wrestlers: Kristian Declercq (1st), Jackson Olson (1st), Rocco Cassioppi (1st), TJ Silva (1st), Brody Sendele (1st), Connor Diemel (1st), Kurt Smith (1st), Isaiah Martinez (2nd), Max Haskins (2nd), Evan Musil (3rd), Maddox Franklin (3rd), and Ethan Ballard (3rd), will all be proceeding to the Barrington sectionals on February 15, 2025.

Female wrestlers Gina Cassioppi (1st), Bella Castelli (2nd), Monika Jahn (4th), and Linda Villa Pioquinto (4th), are also moving on to the sectional round. 

At the beginning of February, the varsity wrestling team won the NIC-10 conference title again, this time by an impressive 147-point lead over the closest runner-up, Harlem High School. Hononegah set a record this year with 11 individual champions. This tournament saw some amazing performances from wrestlers like Jackson Olson with a 55-second pin and Rocco Cassioppi with a 29-second pin in their respective first-place bouts. In the semifinal round, Isaiah Martinez, TJ Silva, and Kurt Smith all pinned their opponents in under a minute. Recovering wrestlers Brody Sendele and Bruno Cassioppi both made their comebacks at this competition, letting everyone know that they are better than ever and ready for state. 

This season there's a new standout wrestler - freshman Bella Castelli. Her rapid-fire technique made light work of all the competition the NIC-10 had to offer. In every match, Castelli lunges at her opponent, psyching them out so that she can easily get her takedown. She made it through regionals with pin and decision victories, just falling short in the first place bout to Dekalb’s Lana Zimmerman. As a freshman, especially, making it this far is already an accomplishment in itself. Bella is sure to be Hononegah’s next champion girls wrestler as Gina Cassioppi finishes her final year in purple and gold. 

Last year, more Hononegah wrestlers went to state than ever before, where half the Hononegah boys placed in the top three in their class. But all in all, the 2024-2025 season has been one of Hononegah’s best. They kicked off the season this summer with nine wrestlers qualifying for the Freestyle and Greco National Championships. Their next big win was a first place finish at the Barrington Invite. Varsity also managed to take first at the Whitewater Mid-States Classic, moving up several places to secure their win. The NIC-10 was no match for Hononegah judging by all the landslide victories like their 79-0 final varsity score against Belvidere North. In an additional outstanding performance, Gina Cassioppi won the 120 lbs weight class at the Ironman Competition in December. Among the hundreds of wrestlers coming from across the country, Gina worked to the top where she beat the #12 ranked wrestler in the country, 7-0. 

Hononegah’s varsity wrestling team has fought with passion throughout the season and it is abundantly clear that they are prepared to take on sectionals and soon thereafter, the state tournament. The 2025 IHSA wrestling finals will see the end of several fantastic wrestlers’ careers at Hononegah and hopefully the beginning of successful futures beyond.

Thanks to Alan Mohring Photography for the featured image from the UW Whitewater meet in December 2024.