Geneseo attracts, expects and demands quality.
That's a statement. Can it be measured?
How about this: The number 113.
No, not the number of inches of snow in the ditches by the end of this weekend.
That is the number of Geneseo Wrestling Invitational individual champions who have gone on to win state championships.
Wow, no wonder Geneseo Athletic Director Joe Nichols – and others – have called it one of the premier high school wrestling tournaments in the United States.
Coaches love it too, for its competition and its execution of tournament details by Geneseo officials, who have been doing it for a long, long time.
The weather willing, they'll do the 48th annual Geneseo Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12 and 13.
This event was started in 1977, the fruit of an idea by Geneseo hall of fame wrestling coach Larry Kanke, who wanted to bring together the best from two states – Illinois and Iowa – which happen to be two of the more reputable wrestling states in the country.
It was called the Bi-State Invitational at first, and it took a few years to gain traction in the wrestling community. But gain it did. National powers like Chicago Mt. Carmel and Joliet Catholic have been here – Joliet Catholic is scheduled again this year.
Iowa powers joined the fray, and for a while, some of the best in both states battled to uphold their state's reputation.
That came to a halt when COVID-19 hit, canceling the tourney that year – and the Iowa teams haven't been back since.
Kanke coached 32 years at Geneseo and four at Rock Island. He came wanting to make the Maple Leafs competitive with Quad-City schools. He knew to do that, he had to fill all the weight classes.
That mission was accomplished. He coached 66 state meet qualifiers and 12 state place winners in Geneseo, and later an individual state champ in his fourth and final season at Rock Island.
Jon Murray was on Kanke's staff for eight years and now is in his 22nd season as the Leafs' head coach.
Kanke's teams won 393 dual meets during his tenure. Murray recently won his 350th.
Murray has also won the Maple Leaf Medallion, the district's highest honor, which recognizes the recipient's emphasis on teaching, learning, and caring.
Nichols said Murray likes this tournament for how well it prepares wrestlers for the coming conference tournament, and the state post-season series.
“There are no easy matches in our tournament,” Nichols said. “It's a dress rehearsal for state.”
In that regard, there's even some pageantry, including a grand march of finalists and a face off before the Saturday championship session.
The event starts promptly at 4 p.m. Friday, and they get a lot of wrestling in that night, going as late as 11 p.m.
They resume at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with semifinals and championship matches remaining. Teams usually are back on the road home by 2:30 p.m.
Last season, seven state champions and 37 state medalists competed in this meet. Of the state champs, two didn't win their weight class at the Geneseo Invite.
Tickets are $5 (cash) for each session, for school age and up.
Geneseo won this tourney in eight of its first 10 years. By then, word had gotten around about how good an event it was, and some nationally-ranked teams started coming in.
Former athletic director Travis Mackey did a lot of promoting of this event during this period, Nichols said.
The Leafs won in 1988, then not again until 2022.
Nichols said a team finish in the middle of the pack means you have a strong team. He said Murray thinks this Geneseo team can be in the top third, “which would be an accomplishment,” Nichols said.
Daniel Makarewicz put together a summary of this year's weight classes as part of a comprehensive program you can get at the tournament.
It lists multiple winners, including Geneseo's only four-time winner, Adam Sheley ('06-'09).
Here then are weights where Leafs could be in the hunt:
113 pounds – Junior Tim Sebastian is rated 9th in Class 2A and is one of five mentioned wrestlers at this weight.
138 – Leaf freshman Isaac Gaines is honorable mention in Class 2A and is one of seven strong candidates at this weight.
144 – Senior Josh Hock is a 2A honorable mention.
150 – Junior Zach Montez will try to become Geneseo's seventh two-time champ. He is ranked second in Class 2A. Montez is a two-time state medalist. IC Catholic's Patrick Mullen is ranked third in Class 2A.
165- Sophomore Kye Weinzeirl, a 2023 state qualifier, is ranked seventh at 157 pounds, but will compete at 165 in this event.
Dozens of volunteers make this showcase event possible. So grab a ticket, and go enjoy some quality!
