Boys Wrestling

Meet the 2015 Grand Marshal

Three Grand Marshals will lead the annual Parade of Champions Saturday night (March 14) before the championship bouts of the 36th annual Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Final Wrestling Tournament.

Named Grand Marshals for 2015 are: Anthony Clarke, Zion, Official; Terry Kivisto, Lake Zurich North, Coach; Ray Winesburg, Elgin, Official

The IESA started having Grand Marshals in 1996. The Grand Marshals are honored for their contributions to interscholastic wrestling and the young men who participate in the sport. They are nominated by the IESA Wrestling Advisory Committee and approved by the IESA Board of Directors. The marshals will play an integral role of the Parade of Champions as they will lead the 38 individual finalists and their coaches into the Convocation Center, amidst music, applause and cheers from teammates, parents, family, and fans.

Here is a closer look at the 2015 Grand Marshals:

Anthony Clarke has distinguished himself as one of the best wrestling officials in the state of Illinois. He became a licensed official in 1984 just two years after graduating from Waukegan West High School. He has worked the IESA state finals 13 times in his career, 16 IHSA individual state finals, four IHSA dual team state finals and has served as the head official at both the individual and dual team IHSA state tournaments. During his 31 year officiating career, Anthony has received numerous honors. He was named Official of the Year in 1996 by the IWCOA; inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2005; he received the IHSA Distinguished Service Award in 2009; he received the National Federation Officials Association Illinois Wrestling Official of the Year Award in 2001, was named Official of the Year by Wrestling USA Magazine in 2013, and just last year was selected as a Grand Marshal for the IHSA finals. He has served on both the IHSA and IESA wrestling advisory committees; is an IHSA wrestling rules interpreter and clinician; and is currently serving on the National Federation wrestling rules committee. Tony is married with two children and he has been employed with the Department of Navy Reserve Component Command since 1984.

A 1974 graduate of DeKalb High School, Terry Kivisto, or Coach K as his wrestlers would call him had a distinguished career as a teacher and head wrestling coach for Lake Zurich North Middle School. He was the wrestling coach for the Wolves for 25 years and during his tenure, his teams won an amazing 209 dual meet victories, captured 24 tournament titles and he had 133 IESA state qualifiers, 14 placers, and three state champions. Terry served on the IESA wrestling advisory committee from 2003-2005. He started his wrestling career as a 6th grader and wrestled for IWCOA Hall of Fame coach Arch Richoz who served as an IESA Grand Marshal last year. Terry graduated with both his bachelors and masters degrees from Northern Illinois University and he received the 2001 Lake Zurich School District "Teachers Make A Difference Award" and the 2010 Lake County "Excellence In Character Award". He and his wife have two sons. Now retired, Coach K spends a lot of his free time working on his golf game and enjoying Northern Illinois football.

Ray Winesburg has been an IHSA licensed official for 35 years and is one of the most well-known and most respected officials in the state and country He was selected as the IWCOA's "Official of the Year" in 1999 and 2003. He has worked the IESA state finals 11 times, nine IHSA individual finals, and five IHSA dual team finals. He currently serves the IHSA as a certified wrestling clinician and as a wrestling assigner where he assigns officials for 33 high schools in the Chicago suburbs as well as for numerous junior high schools in the northern area. He officiates practically year round as he also works AAU and USA wrestling tournaments in Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and was recently selected to work the prestigious "Disney Duals" in Florida. Ray was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2007 and served on the IESA wrestling advisory committee from 2012-2014.