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Whether it be the IHSA State Finals, an enrichment filled visit to Northwestern University, an IKWF competition, collegiate tournaments, or practicing in preparation for a big meet; BTSC wrestlers of all ages had somewhere to be this weekend. 

Get filled in on the action

IHSA State Tournament

28 of our boys qualified & wrestled in Champaign as the University of Illinois hosted the annual high school state tournament in which six wrestlers medaled, returning back to Chicago with ‘All-State’ status. Among the six medalists was Sean Larkin, a senior at St. Rita, who capped off his high school career with a state title in the 2A 144 lb weight class. Being a part of our programming for years, Larkin is the first “homegrown” Beat The Streets Chicago IHSA State Champion. Check out all the IHSA State place-winners below. 

Sean Larkin, St. Rita of Cascia High School, senior –  State Champion, 2A 144 lbs

Santiago Chaparro, Hope Academy, senior – 3rd place, 1A 144 lbs

Jamiel Castleberry, Proviso West High School, freshman – 4th place, 3A 106 lbs

Roy Phelps, Hope Academy, junior – 6th place, 1A HWT

Calvin Savage, King College Prep, senior – 6th place, 1A 190 lbs

David Ogunsanya, Oak Park River Forest High School, sophomore – 6th place, 3A 150 lbs

Northwestern Trip

Over 100 wrestlers & parents traveled to Northwestern University Sunday for a college visit and to experience a Big Ten dual meet between Northwestern & Indiana. Wrestlers also got behind the scenes access while practicing within the Northwestern wrestling room. Elementary, middle school, & high school wrestlers were all in attendance.

IKWF Tournament

If young wrestlers were not at Northwestern, they were competing in the final regular season IKWF competition before the state series. Over 100 wrestlers toed the line on Sunday as a tune up before regionals this weekend. 

High School Girls Gear Up For State Meet 

The 18 qualifiers for the IHSA Girls State Tournament spent the weekend fine tuning their skills ahead of their state competition this Friday & Saturday in Bloomington, IL. We are expecting many of our girls to take home a medal & secure ‘All-State’ status. Updates on their results to follow!

BTSC Interns, Alumni, & Partnered Teams Getting It Done At The College Level 

Triton College qualified wrestlers in all ten weight classes for the NJCAA National Tournament in two weeks. In doing so, they won the NJCAA Great Lakes District title for the second straight year. Triton College Head Wrestling Coach, Tim Duggan was also named the Great Lakes District Coach of the Year. Morton College, who practices out of Beat The Streets Chicago, also qualified six wrestlers for nationals in March. On the NAIA scene, Cam Hargrove, an intern this past Summer, took home the 165 lb Heart of America Conference title for William Penn University. In doing so, Hargrove became the first conference champion for his school since 2017. 

All of this in one busy weekend! Check out our socials for photos & more details.

It is safe to say the City will be well represented the next few weeks in Champaign as 28 boys & 18 girls placed at this past weekend’s sectional tournament qualifying them for the IHSA State Finals. 

This tournament is a the culmination of a lifetime of work and a great season of commitment. With many of these wrestlers being a part of our programming since middle school, it is amazing to see their progression and upwards trajectory. 

The tournament is takes places February 15-17 for the boys & February 23-24 for the girls. Stay tuned to our Instagram & Facebook for updates. 

Louis is a junior at Whitney Young Magnet High School, a CPS school without a wrestling program. Beginning wrestling this past Spring during the freestyle/greco season, Louis took the initiative becoming determined to jumpstart a program at his high school. After his efforts were met with administrative opposition, he formed a co-op with the nearby Crane Medical Prep organizing for students interested in wrestling at Whitney Young to train & compete with Crane & their team.
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We recently got to catch up with Louis at an IHSA regional tournament where Louis & seven other Whitney Young students competed. Besides starting new wrestling programs, Louis is a star student with a passion for aerospace engineering. He is a part of the NASA Student Launch Initiative that challenges teams of students to build a rocket that later get judged in an annual competition. Last Summer, Louis & his team’s rocket WON this competition.
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It is kids like Louis who carve a future for young City wrestlers & contribute to this thriving community. Louis exemplifies all the values we preach everyday & continues to demonstrate amazing leadership skills. We are so fortunate to have wrestlers like Louis who “find a way” when life gets tough. Watch out for this young stud next year!

 Michael Powell was recently featured on the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast hosted by Ryan Warner. They discussed our 15-fold growth, Chicago’s rich wrestling history, & shared stories about many of our kids. Take a listen, we dare you not to be inspired by Coach Powell’s vision and by the stories of our young Chicagoans.

Beat the Streets Chicago continues to grow wrestling in the areas that need it most! Oak Park River Forest High School recently retired two of their old mats and donated them to BTSC, within 48 hours they were being delivered to their new homes; Harold Washington Elementary in Burnside and Wendell Green Elementary in Roseland, two schools that have been pushing for a wrestling program but did not have the resources to purchase a new mat. Both schools eager to start a CPS SCORE Wrestling team are now ready to go for the start of the season! 

This collaboration exemplifies the positive impact that a healthy Chicago wrestling ecosystem can offer— support and resource sharing fosters wrestling programs in schools, especially in areas where such opportunities are needed the most. Beat the Streets Chicago continues to be a driving force in creating opportunities and nurturing the growth of wrestling within the community.

Author: Patrick Martinez

All boy’s CPS wrestlers were in one spot this weekend for the CPL Championships, a two-day event with over 50 teams in attendance. In the end, 7 of the 13 individual champions identify themselves as Beat The Streets Chicago wrestlers.

Better yet, four of the seven BTSC wrestlers crowned champions are apart of our Life Champions Academy. As the years progress, we hope every wrestler laced up to compete in the city is involved in our programming. 

Further, this event allows wrestlers & coaches from schools across the City to support each & add to Chicago’s rich wrestling tradition. 

Members of the BTSC women’s squad went to work this past weekend at the CPL City Championships, competing for their respective high schools. With four individual champions, 11 of 13 weight classes saw a BTSC girl in the finals! As the post-season approaches, this competition is a great stepping stone for our wrestlers in pursuit of a state medal. As an organization, we are proud to see the hard work and dedication displayed by our wrestlers coming to fruition. An overall great day for the girls wrestling community as well as for CPS student-athletes. 

This IKWF season, a new practice location opened up in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood. Conducted out of St. Ignatius College Prep, the Tri-Taylor attracts wrestlers from the lower west side in neighborhoods like Pilsen, Bridgeport, & McKinley Park.  

Since their first practice in October of 2023 they have regularly seen attendance levels north of 30 wrestlers & have been actively competing in IKWF tournaments with the other BTSC Winter locations. 

Although being the most recent, Tri-Taylor will not be the last training site added to the Beat The Streets Chicago string as plans to continue expansion are underway for 2024. 

We wanted to once again express our gratitude for all those who contributed to our #GivingTuesday & #EOY campaigns. In the final months of 2023, we gained a number of new monthly donors & reached our $35,000 match goal.

Year after year we are amazed at the generosity displayed within our community. Thank you for your continued investment in a better future for City youth. Your end of year support has an extra boost of motivation to get bigger & better in 2024.