Four years ago, a short, pudgy seventh-grader made a promise to Metea Valley coach Claudio Torres.
“He said that when he got to high school, he’d do anything and everything I ask him to do, to be the best wrestler he could be,” Torres said.
That former grade-schooler is now junior Dylan Ervin, an Upstate Eight Conference tournament champion and Class 3A Batavia Regional runner-up at 182 pounds.
Ervin kept that promise to Torres, turning the sport into a seven-day-a-week proposition. Ervin was a kids’ club wrestler for Martinez Elite and in addition to his training at Metea, he has attended the 28-day J Robb wrestling camp in Minnesota and works out at one of the state’s top wrestling clubs, Izzy Style.
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Wrestlers are driven individuals by nature and Ervin found extra inspiration at home, in the form his mother, Gena Baymon.
“My father hasn’t been in my life as much as I’d like, but my mom managed to graduate high school, graduate college, and have a career. She’s something else,” Ervin said. “If she can do it, I better do it, too.
“And coach Torres believed in me. He saw something in me I didn’t see in myself.”
Ervin wrestled at 182 his freshman year and 195 in a sophomore year plagued by a shoulder injury. He dropped back down to 182 for the current season and has 30-4 record, including a 3-2 win over South Elgin’s Zack Crosby on a UEC title mat.
Ervin also won a title at a 17-team tournament at Glenbrook South and placed second at Palatine’s 31-team tournament this season.
His technique has always been solid, and now his strength is becoming an asset.
“I feel wonderful right now,” Ervin said. “I’m doing my best to lift and I know if I want to get to state and get my name known, I have to be strong.”
Ervin took his first step on the road to state on Saturday when he was runner-up to Marmion’s Nathan Traxler in the regional. Traxler, ranked No. 1 in 3A by IllinoisMatmen.com, won the final 5-4.
Ervin, a junior, has a coveted place on a downstate podium in mind and his coach believes he has done everything possible to get there.
“He has tunnel vision and he hasn’t stopped since his eighth-grade year,” Torres said. “He goes seven days a week, this whole season. I really believe he’ll rise to the occasion.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer.