Fighting Saints Edge Oak Park-River Forest to Claim Class 3A Third Place

St. Charles East capped a historic season with a dramatic finish Saturday night in Bloomington, edging Oak Park-River Forest 34-30 in the IHSA Class 3A team third-place dual at Grossinger Motors Arena. The Fighting Saints secured the state trophy in the final bout of the night, clinching a top-three team finish in Illinois and closing the year with a 19-6 dual record.

The dual came down to the last match, with the outcome — and the third-place trophy — still undecided. With the crowd on its feet and fans counting down the final seconds, Isaac Lenard delivered the decisive victory, winning his bout by one point to push St. Charles East past the Huskies. Lenard’s narrow decision turned a tenuous lead into a sealed result, punctuating a back-and-forth dual that stayed within reach for both teams.

Throughout the evening, the Fighting Saints relied on a mix of bonus-point wins and gritty decisions to build enough of a margin for Lenard’s heroics to matter. St. Charles East’s upper and middle weights helped establish early momentum, while lighter weights fought to hold off an Oak Park-River Forest push that nearly erased the advantage. Each swing bout carried added weight with a 3rd place state trophy on the line, and the Saints’ ability to secure key wins in tight matches proved decisive.

The third-place performance in the team state field followed a strong postseason run that included a comeback win over Hononegah in the quarterfinals and a berth in the semifinals earlier in the weekend. Combined with individual state success, the podium finish in the dual series underscored the program’s depth and consistency across the lineup.

Senior standout Dom Munaretto provided the centerpiece to that success. Munaretto completed his senior year with a perfect, undefeated record, finishing as a three-time IHSA state champion and four-time state qualifier. He also graduates as the all-time wins leader in St. Charles East history and ranks second all-time in career victories in Illinois, adding historic significance to the Saints’ team hardware in Bloomington.

For St. Charles East, the third-place trophy, 19-6 final record and multiple state-level achievements mark one of the most accomplished seasons in program history. With a core of experienced wrestlers having navigated the pressure of both individual and team state competition, the Fighting Saints leave Bloomington with tangible proof of their progress and a standard for future squads to match in the coming years.