The first time that South Elgin coach Mark Cameron sent Zack Crosby out in a varsity match, his grit was obvious.
“It was ugly and sloppy, but even as a freshman, you could tell that Zack was a kid that would not stop and was going to leave it all on the mat,” Cameron said. “He lost that first match, but by the time they were done wrestling, the other kid was just exhausted and wanted nothing else to do with him.”
Now a senior at 182 pounds, Crosby is more polished than he was as a freshman, and he has come a long way in another key area.
“The biggest change has been the confidence I have in myself, as a wrestler and as a person,” Crosby said. “If you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to beat anybody. I have an attitude now of, ‘I don’t care who you are, I’m going to put you through hell if you want to beat me.'”
Crosby carried an 11-1 record through Saturday’s action, winning an individual title at Fenton’s 14-team tournament and placing second at Hoffman Estates’ 14-team field.
Last season, Crosby went 33-14 at 182, falling one sectional win shy of advancing to the Class 3A individual state tournament.
Crosby was a state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in each of the past two club seasons. And prior to this school year, he focused more heavily on the folkstyle wrestling done at the high school level.
“I wanted to develop my leg attacks because I knew that if I wanted to be successful at the high school level this year, I was going to need to really work on my shots,” Crosby said.
The work has paid off.
“Last year he muscled guys, and this year he’s more of a wrestler,” Cameron said. “He’s really good at being in position, understanding his body control, and he’s really hard to move and get out of position.
“When he steps on the mat, you’re going to get everything he’s got. It may not always be pretty but it’s going to be everything he has.”
Crosby has committed to wrestle for Notre Dame College of Ohio next year. For now, his eyes are fixed on a more immediate goal.
“It’s definitely to place downstate, and I have room to improve,” Crosby said. “My shot is better than it was last year, but there’s still some things I have to tweak to get better.”
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Wildcats head to Harlem: Neuqua Valley will compete next Tuesday and Wednesday at the 33-team Dvorak Tournament, hosted by Harlem near Rockford. It is arguably the toughest regular-season tournament in Illinois.
The Wildcats head into the Dvorak having tied for the team title Saturday at a 13-team tournament at Buffalo Grove, getting individual titles from Anand Shah (106), Denis Murphy (113), and Danny Sanderson (138). Finishing second were Jett Schrey (120) and Anthony Schoedel (285).
“They wrestled well at Buffalo Grove and they can expect a tough match every time out at the Dvorak,” Neuqua coach Mick Ruettiger said. “Their juices have to be flowing every time out if they want to be competitive, and they can’t be intimidated by any of the teams there.”
Jacquez, Olson lead Blackhawks: West Aurora battles in a tough 23-team field Friday and Saturday at the annual Rex Whitlatch Tournament, hosted by Hinsdale Central.
Isaac Jacquez is 14-0 at 120. He placed second at 113 in Hinsdale last year before placing fifth at state in Class 3A. Senior Alex Gonzalez (160) will miss this year’s Whitlatch due to injury after placing third at 152 there last season.
Blackhawks coach Charlie Curran is looking forward to seeing his Blackhawks compete in Hinsdale, including senior Erik Olson (145).
“He won an (Upstate Eight) conference title last year and he’s been on fire this year,” Curran said. “Six minutes with him is a full six minutes and he’s a guy to look out for at 145 pounds this weekend.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer for The Courier-News, The Beacon-News and the Naperville Sun.