Mat Stars Marshall, Salinas Aim To Taste Champaign

Just getting to the Illinois High School Association state tournament finals in wrestling might be the most difficult task in front of any high school athlete in any sport.

And winning a state medal that signifies a top 6 finish? That’s a goal that’s out of reach for most. But even though you only need one hand to count the number of times in Evanston’s program history that two grapplers have won state medals in the same season, that’s a history that might have to be rewritten by the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Senior heavyweight Jeremy Marshall, who reached State as a junior, and junior 165-pounder Rodrigo Salinas, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, are legitimate threats to reach the medal podium at the University of Illinois in Champaign on the final weekend of the season and will provide a solid 1-2 punch for an experienced Wildkit squad.

Evanston hasn’t had multiple medalists since 1971, when Albert Meredith (state champ at 155 pounds), Jim Parham (fifth at 125) and Karl Johnson (fifth at 105) all brought hardware home. But both Marshall and Salinas, the youngest son of ETHS head coach Rudy Salinas, have already chalked up 40-win seasons during their mat careers and have the skill, mental toughness and perseverance to make it happen this year.

Evanston opens Tuesday, hosting a quadrangular involving two regional champions from a year ago --- Lane Tech and Hope --- along with Ida Crown. The Kits will also participate at the Vernon Hills Invitational tournament on Saturday.

Marshall is climbing the ladder for career victories at ETHS and only needs eight victories to reach the 100-win plateau. That’s a feat that only 12 other Kits have accomplished and the 285-pound strongman is coming off a dominant junior year where he finished 40-10 overall.

Two of those losses came in Champaign. After advancing out of the sectional, Marshall didn’t have the luck of the draw at State. He was pinned in the first round by the eventual Class 3A state champion, Jonathan Rulo of Belleville West, then dropped a 1-0 decision to the eventual fifth place finisher, Owen Jakubczak of Fremd.

Both of those grapplers were juniors and half the State heavyweight bracket last year consisted of underclassmen. So Marshall’s path to the podium will feature plenty of obstacles.

Salinas thinks he’ll be up to the challenge.

“Jeremy walked away knowing he was capable of being on that podium last year,” said the Wildkit coach. “This year it will come down to the way he executes on the mat and putting all of his technique into becoming a more well-rounded wrestler. He’s matured --- he’s a little stronger, a little quicker. He lost in that first round at State to a guy who just didn’t win a state championship, but was ranked in the top 10 in the nation.”

Rodrigo Salinas won’t be able to challenge the number of career victories posted by older brothers Ricardo (166) and Rafael (159), who rank 1-2 on the all-time list at ETHS, after missing his entire sophomore season. But his mat talent was obvious right from the start of his freshman year, when he went 41-10, won conference and regional championships, and missed out on a trip to State by falling one victory short at the sectional.

Now he’s back and eager to make up for lost time. But Coach Salinas is being cautious with his star 165-pounder and he likely won’t join the starting lineup until after he finishes his rehabilitation completely.

“Right now he’s the best athlete in our (practice) room. No one can beat him. But we aren’t going to rush him back,” said the Evanston coach. “We’re taking it (his comeback) little by little.

“I think the world of him and I saw him being on the podium last year (before the injury). I know he’d have been at The Show, and people would have been scared to go up against him. He’ll have to switch his goals this year, but he can beat his brothers (who are currently both assistant coaches) if he gets a State medal.”

In a sport where experience is a key factor, the Wildkits return five other individuals who could be considered returning starters. Most of them won’t be competing at the same weight classes this year, however, and Salinas still has to fill holes in his lineup at 106, 126, 132, 157 and 190 to field a squad that will be a dual meet threat.

The starting lineup at the start of the season will likely feature freshman Quinn Muriel at 113, sophomore Nick Arend at 120, senior Miguel Morales or junior Charlie Wagner at 138, junior Andy Edwards at 144, senior Zach Weston at 150, freshman Brooks Tyler or sophomore Andres Thomas at 215, and Marshall at 285.

The most intriguing intra-squad competition might take place at 175, where junior Diego Lopez and sophomore Art Bytyqi are moving up in class as they grow older and stronger. Both hopefuls entered the program with a degree of hype regarding their skills, but neither posted a winning record last year. Lopez finished 17-22 overall, competing mostly at 165, and Bytyqi was 18-18.

That battle for a starting spot might last the entire season, according to Salinas.

“We don’t push weight cutting in our program and they both could end up in the same class,” he said. “I might just look at the best available matchup (against a given foe) because they have two different styles. Sometimes Diego will be a better matchup because he’s better with his upper body, where Art is more of a shooter and he’s better on his feet.

“If the guys we have coming back have above .500 years, it’s going to be a great year for us. But that’s easier said than done. I’m optimistic and I’m excited. The winter (season) asks all of them ‘what have you done all summer and all fall?’ That’s the question they all have to answer.”

Evanston’s girls program continues to rise, with a roster of 27 hopefuls aiming to follow in the footsteps of last year’s state qualifier, Kennedy Murray. Last year’s large freshman class returns almost intact, with Samantha Gipson and Aileen Trejo expected to emerge as leaders on and off the mat as sophomores.

Other key returnees include sophs Rachael Jacobs and Isabella Vernon, along with senior Fatima Gomez.

“I think the future looks really bright for the girls program,” Salinas said. “We’ve added another coach and that’s one thing we needed to help the program grow. We’re looking to field a full lineup (in every weight class) this year and we have three club girls who are eighth graders now who are going to come in and wreak havoc for us next year.”