Rulo, Walton deliver historic state wrestling championships to metro-east high schools

A pair of metro-east high school wrestlers brought unlikely state championships back to their hometowns.

Jonathan Rulo delivered Belleville East its first ever boys state championship, defeating Round Lake senior William Cole in the title match at the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana.

Pierre Walton, meanwhile, claimed the first state title for East St. Louis Senior High School in 82 years.

Rulo’s three-period defeat of Cole capped a dominating run through the 3A bracket at 285-pounds, the highest weight class. The Lancer senior, a first-team all-state lineman for the East football team, defeated Evanston’s Jeremy Marshall (36-10) and third-place winner Mateusz Nycz (49-10) of South Elgin, before a showdown with Maine South’s Tyler Fortis (51-5) in the semifinals.

Still just a junior, Rulo capped a perfect season with a 35-0 record on the mat.

His championship, though historic, was not the first state wrestling title for East. Kiara Ganey won gold in 2022, the first year girls competed in wrestling at an IHSA-sanctioned state meet.

Walton championship victory was less dominant, which makes it all the more remarkable. The East Side junior spotted his opponent a 7-point advantage in the Class 2A 165-pound title match. But he won gold with a second-round pin of Montini’s Santino Tenuta (30-4) to give the Flyers their first wrestling championship since Gene Couch won it all at 95 pounds in 1943.

Walton, who also stands out on the East St. Louis track and field team, closed a 42-4 season. His road to the title went through Anthony Makwala (47-14) of Galesberg, Ilia Dvoriannikov (59-7) of Libertyville, and Zachary Montez (59-6) of Geneseo.

Jason Dowell of Althoff (31-3) was wrestling for a repeat championship at 285 pounds in Class 1A, but fell to Jeremy Gagnon of Everygreen Park in the quarterfinals.

Red Bud freshman Danny Jackson placed third in Class 1A at 190 pounds.