The Heller brothers worked tirelessly to find postseason success. First, though, they had to find each other.
“I didn’t even get to watch my brother (Sage Heller) wrestle at state last year,” Deerfield sophomore Holden Heller said. “This year I got to train with him, be there, cheer him on.
“We were so broken up. Definitely a reason I did so great this year was the unity of my family.”
After qualifying for state as a freshman at powerhouse Montini last year, Holden Heller transferred to hometown Deerfield to compete with brothers Sage, a senior, and Reece, an incoming freshman.
What a year it turned into.
All three qualified for Class 3A state, and the two eldest reached the podium on Feb. 20 at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Sage Heller (44-5) became the state runner-up at 170 pounds, while Holden Heller (42-6) placed fourth at 113.
Reece Heller finished 23-6.
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“When one person starts winning, everyone starts winning,” Sage Heller said. “Champions breed champions.”
The Hellers, it seems, are also bred in toughness. Their father, Mark, is battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He’s a huge wrestling fan and streamed the state finals Saturday from the hospital.
“He told me himself, he doesn’t live to make himself better, he lives to make us better at this point,” Holden Heller said. “He does research so we’re always the healthiest and strongest when we compete, and he tries to build us into great characters and the best people we can be.
“My dad definitely feeds off a great attitude for us. He’s been through a lot. His toughness rubs off on us.”
Deerfield coach Marc Pechter sees that resolve every day in practice. The coach responsible for waking a dormant Deerfield wrestling program said the Heller brothers provide a boost in more ways than one.
“They bring up the intensity and technique in the room, and they bring up our practice partners to a whole ‘nother level,” Pechter said. “They’re also three very nice kids. They can keep it loose and have a good attitude.”
With Deerfield’s Andrew Mehrholz missing the state tournament due to a dislocated elbow, Sage Heller led the charge for the Warriors. He capped his career with his best state tournament, pinning his way to the finals before falling to Willowbrook’s Matthew Rowland, a North Carolina recruit.
“It was really cool to be here with my brothers,” Sage Heller said. “I was excited to get here (to the finals) because I hadn’t won a match at the tournament. I was 0-3. I came out here and wrestled pretty tough, but nerves kinda got the best of me in the end.”
“Our dad was so proud of us,” Holden Heller said. “He’s so into it.”
Individual state wasn’t the end of the season for the Heller brothers and Deerfield. The Warriors are scheduled to face Hononegah at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Grant for a chance to make the team state quarterfinals for the second straight season.
“We’re a little banged up right now, but we’re going to give it everything we’ve got because we have some depth on this team,” Pechter said.
Depth, and plenty of toughness.
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @LoganFXM