Illinois
Illinois High School Sectional Matches To Watch – FloWrestling
The Illinois high school season rolls into sectional week across the state this weekend with the top competitors in the Land of Lincoln vying to secure a spot in Champaign for next week’s state tournament. Here’s a look at some of the top potential sectional matchups on tap for this weekend.
Barrington
126 pounds — Jackson Olson (Hononegah) vs. Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Hersey)
The anticipated final features a clash between a pair of fourth-place finishers from the 2025 season. Olson placed at 120 and Havrylkiv at 113. While Havrylkiv has the more impressive record, Olson’s record reflects a tough schedule that includes tournaments such as Ironman. Placement order at this sectional will be key for Champaign, as this is one of the more open weights and a favorable seed can give a clear path to the finals at state.
Hinsdale Central
113 pounds — James Morrison (Marmion) vs. Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic)
In a state that embraces schematics over seeding, all too often we get semifinals such as this one. Both Morrison and Klichurov are having impressive seasons and both have cracked the national rankings at various points this season. Morrison and Klichurov have met once this year with Morrison taking home a close victory. The 113-pound class in 3A is one of the deepest weights in Illinois and the winner of this one will put himself in a much more favorable position for seeding in Champaign the following week.
Hinsdale Central
138 pounds — Zach Stewart (Marmion) vs. Griff Powell (Lyons)
In yet another way-too-soon semifinal, returning state placer Griff Powell will run into 2025 state finalist Zach Stewart. Stewart will be the favorite coming in, but Powell has already found success against the Cadets with a win over Demetrios Carrera at the Flavin. This is another early sectional matchup that has potential to be repeated in next Saturday night’s state finals.
144 pounds — Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) vs. Kam Luif (Montini Catholic)
Insane semifinal matchups seem to be the norm at the Hinsdale sectional, and this one will feature Demetrios Carrera, who placed third in 2025 against returning 2A state champion kam Luif. The winner will likely still have to face multiple-time state placer Justin Williamson of Chicago Mount Carmel in the sectional finals. This is one of the deepest sectional weights, featuring three contenders for the title in Champaign, and the winner in Hinsdale will be able to push the other two across the bracket in Champaign.
Conant
120 pounds — Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) vs. Ray Long (Niles Notre Dame)
This semifinal match is a clash between two returning state champions. Munaretto, a two-time U17 World champion and two-time Ironman champion, will be looking for his third IHSA 3A state title before continuing his career at Ohio State. Long will be looking to derail the future Buckeye’s perfect senior campaign en route to his second state title.
Antioch
190 pounds — Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic) vs. Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)
With Jimmy Mastny up at 215 for the state series, this semifinal match up has a good probability of being repeated the following weekend in Champaign in the finals. Calcagno who placed third at 215 in his junior campaign, appears to be the biggest obstacle in front of Penovich, who will be looking for his second IHSA state championship.
Geneseo
165 pounds — Wyatt Medlin (Washington) vs.Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)
Medlin, who is highly nationally ranked and will be continuing his career at Illinois, will be a heavy favorite coming into this sectional semifinal. However, Gaines is one of the contenders at this weight, and we all know that strange things happen this time of year. Even if Gaines comes up short, the possibility of a finals rematch the following week in Champaign is definitely not out of the question.
215 pounds — Jimmy Mastny (Marian) vs. Josh Hoffer (Washington)
This is the premier matchup of this sectional and it happens in the semifinals. Both Mastny and Hoffer are returning state champions. Mastny is having a stellar season with a Super 32 championship and high placement at Ironman. Hoffer has had a few more bumps in the road, but has been high in the national rankings at points in the season and will be Mastny’s toughest test as he looks for his third state title.
Byron
106 pounds — Nate Lower (Rockridge) vs. Riley Paredes (Dixon)
This matchup makes the list because whenever you have two wrestlers with a combined 69-3 record meeting in the semifinals, someone is going to be pushed to the backside too early. Neither Lower nor Paredes qualified for the big dance last season and both will be looking to improve their seeding come the following week in Champaign.
113 pounds — Landon Near (Newman) vs. Augustus Swanson (Princeton)
This weight appears to have the marquee finals matchup between returning state placer Landon Near and state qualifier Augustus Swanson. What makes this one interesting is that Near is up from last season when he competed at 106 and Swanson is down from 120 a season ago. This is another weight where the sectional finals can be a prelude to what we will get to see next week in Champaign on Saturday.
165 pounds — Eli Burns (Mercer), Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley), Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy), Reily Leifheit (Marquette), Casey Etheridge (Princeton), Ryan Lower (Rockridge), Jonner Smith (Carroll).
This 1A sectional is likely the deepest weight in any class. There are at least three of the top wrestlers in this weight who will not make it out and possibly a fourth if there are any upsets. Though it’s difficult to predict how this weight will play out, the beneficiaries are the wrestlers at 165 from the other three sectionals, as the field will be significantly thinned coming into Champaign.
Illinois
PPP Loan Scandal Busts Joliet Woman Working For Illinois Department Of Corrections: AG Kwame Raoul Reveals
JOLIET, IL —Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a press release on Monday is alleging a Will County woman fraudulently received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for more than $20,000 while employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Attorney General’s office charged Jamilah Franklin, 48, of Joliet, with one count of loan fraud of more than $10,000, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; and three counts of forgery, Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Franklin’s first court appearance is June 18.
“Federal assistance programs served as a lifeline for small businesses and unemployed Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is unacceptable that government employees would abuse that vital support,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with other agencies to hold public workers accountable for abusing these programs.”
Attorney General Raoul’s office alleges Franklin was employed by the DOC as a lieutenant when she fraudulently applied for a PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration by falsely claiming she owned a business. According to Raoul’s office, Franklin received $20,516 in 2021 as a result.
The Attorney General’s office is prosecuting this case based on a referral by the Office of Executive Inspector General and following an investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation.
“The Illinois State Police pursues any state employee committing criminal behavior and will continue to work with Attorney General Raoul’s office to hold employees accountable and ensure justice,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.
Raoul’s office has prosecuted dozens of individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other investigations to the appropriate state’s attorneys for further evaluation.
Deputy Chief Jonas Harger is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
Illinois
Thousands of birds could migrate over the Chicago area this week, and here’s how to protect them
Thousands upon thousands of birds are expected to cross over Illinois as part of their spring migrations in coming days.
Thursday night saw the highest migration totals of the season so far, but researchers at Cornell believe that Sunday and Monday nights could see even more avian traffic in the skies over the Chicago area, with hundreds of thousands of birds expected to traverse the area.
According to estimates from Birdcast, Sunday night and into Monday morning there could be “medium” activity for migrating birds, with thousands of birds per kilometer flying over the area.
Even more birds are expected to take flight Monday night and into Tuesday morning thanks to favorable weather conditions, with a “high” number of birds expected to take to the skies over the Chicago area.
According to estimates, up to 383 million birds could be in flight over the central United States during the peak of the migration overnight.
On Thursday night the Chicago area experienced its busiest night of the spring migration season so far, with more than 367,000 birds having been estimated to have passed over Cook County alone.
In all, more than 23,000,000 birds are believed to have crossed the state of Illinois so far during the spring migration.
Among the primary birds expected to be flying through the area are American Redstarts, Magnolia Warblers, Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings, according to researchers at the CornellLab.
As millions of birds continue visiting the Chicago area, here are some steps that residents can take to keep them safe.
When do birds typically migrate?
Peak migration for birds over the state of Illinois occurs in mid-to-late May, with hundreds of different species heading north for the summer breeding season.
Those migration flights for songbirds and other species typically take place in the overnight hours. According to experts, birds typically take flight 30-to-45 minutes after sunset, with the greatest number of birds in flight typically seen approximately two-to-three hours later.
When should residents turn lights off?
One of the best ways to help protect birds is to turn off lights during peak migration times.
According to Birdcast, the best time to turn off or dim exterior lights and interior lights is between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most birds are active.
Bright lights can disorient and attract birds, making them vulnerable to collisions and to predators on the ground, according to the website.
Hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in collisions with buildings, and residents and businesses are being asked to do their part to keep the creatures safe.
In addition to turning off unneeded exterior lights, residents and businesses are also asked to dim or turn off lights in lobbies, and to draw blinds to help keep light from escaping through windows.
Finally, exterior lights should be aimed downward and be well-shielded so that birds aren’t attracted to them.
Are there other steps?
Another key step in protecting birds is to bring pet cats inside during overnight hours.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the United States every year, and during migration season those impacts can be even more devastating, as exhausted birds typically seek refuge in plants and trees to rest on their journeys, making them vulnerable to attack.
Since cats like to hunt at night, active migrating birds can be a target, leading to experts asking residents to keep animals inside when possible.
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