More isn’t always better.
Just ask Jimmy McAuliffe, who became a little too enchanted with scouting his opponents earlier in his high school career.
“The anxiety part definitely hurt me in the past,” said McAuliffe, a junior at Reavis. “Worrying about my matches too much was making me overthink.”
What did McAuliffe, fifth at state in Class 3A at 106 pounds as a freshman at Marist, do wrong?
“I was looking at the wrestlers, their rankings, their records, what they’ve been doing, watching them wrestle,” he said. “It was too much to take in. So I’m not going to worry about it, and I’ll wrestle the way I wrestle.”
Basically, McAuliffe is trying to cruise with two hands on the wheel heading into matches instead of racing in circles with the top down.
He put together a strong sophomore season at Reavis, but was stuck in a loaded 132-pound sectional bracket. It included St. Rita’s Austin O’Connor, who went on to win his second state title, and third-place finisher AJ Jaffe of Marmion.
McAuliffe missed state-qualifying by one spot, dropping a 7-5 overtime match to Brother Rice senior Juan Blanco.
That match seems like a distant memory. Through the first two weeks of this season, McAuliffe was 11-0 and won the 138-pound weight class at the Stagg Invitational.
“I feel a lot better,” McAuliffe said. “I’m wrestling better, doing what my coaches are telling me to do and working hard in my matches. I’m not worrying about mistakes.”
The Rams hope to be in contention for the South Suburban title, along with Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Lemont and Argo.
Schultz signs: Tinley Park’s Eric Schultz is headed to the Big 12.
A second-place finisher at state in Class 2A the past two seasons at 170 and then 195 pounds, he signed with Nebraska on national signing day but kept his decision private until recently as to not make a hoopla of the occasion, according to Titans coach John Pfeffer.
“He’s a very humble kid,” Pfeffer said.
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Schultz is now the second Southland wrestler to choose Nebraska in as many years. Thornwood’s Kris Williams, a three-time state champion, is currently 7-0 for the Huskers in his freshman season.
Downing champions: Lockport’s Abdullah Assaf and Brandom Ramos combined to defeat three Missouri state champions last weekend at the Ron Sauer Duals in Fox, Mo.
Assaf (120 pounds) defeated a pair, including two-time champion Sidney Oliver, as the Porters placed second in the 16-team dual tournament.
Lockport should be even tougher when Trevell Timmons, a national champ during the summer club season, returns from an injury.
Numbers game: Bummed out.
That’s how Shepard coach Scott Richardson felt last season when only 27 wrestlers — on all levels — came out for the program.
“It was our lowest number, by far,” Richardson said. “I was down. It got to me a little bit.”
Richardson is feeling a whole lot better about this season. The Astros have doubled their numbers thanks to a strong freshmen class, which capped an 8-1 season in football.
“We’ve got a lot of good, smart kids,” Richardson said.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
TOP 10
Preseason rank in parentheses
1. Sandburg (1)
2. Mount Carmel (2)
3. Lockport (3)
4. Lincoln-Way West (4)
5. Marian Catholic (7)
6. Lincoln-Way East (8)
7. Providence (9)
8. Lincoln-Way Central (5)
9. Tinley Park (10)
10. Marist (NR)
Wrestler of the Week: Argo junior Audel Ochoa pinned his way to the heavyweight title at the 11-team Hinsdale South Invite. Ochoa was 30-9 in the division last season.