He’s only a teenager, but Dylan Ervin trained like a man in his senior season at Metea Valley, committing to the discipline, hard work and focus it takes to wrestle for a state championship.
It was quite a journey.
Ervin became the first wrestler in Metea’s five-year varsity history to reach the Class 3A state finals. He finished second at 195 pounds Saturday to three-time state medalist Christian Brunner of Dundee-Crown, but by the time he stepped off the awards’ stand in Champaign, Ervin embraced his accomplishment.
“I came a long way from my freshman year and not even winning a match at the regional,” Ervin said. “To wrestle for a state title is the best feeling.”
In his first state appearance, Ervin made it to the Grand March at the State Farm Center, replete with spotlight introductions for the finals in front of thousands of fans.
“Just watching (the Grand March) is amazing, but you love it twice as much when you get to be a part of it,” Ervin said. “In my senior year, to be able to walk out of the tunnel here and take second place, it’s the best feeling.”
Ervin opened the tournament with a pin and a win by tech fall before meeting Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Mason DeLong in the semifinals. Ervin trailed 4-2 in the third period before forcing overtime with a takedown. He earned a another takedown for the 6-4 decision.
In the championship match, Ervin (41-4) trailed Brunner (48-0) by a 2-1 margin in the second period when Brunner found an opportunity to end it with a pin.
“I had a half (nelson) and he went flat, and when he came back up, I shot it back in there,” Brunner said. “I had it even deeper and when I saw him flip over, I just started squeezing. From there, I was just looking at the ref the whole time until he slapped the mat.”
Ervin successfully mounted third-period comebacks against both Delong and Waubonsie Valley’s Max Ihry during the postseason, but Brunner didn’t allow Ervin the chance to do it again.
“It was 2-1 when he got pinned, and maybe going to the third period (Brunner) would have went down, we would have cut him quick and now it’s 3-1, but we’re on our feet,” Metea coach Claudio Torres said. “And Dylan’s not bad in neutral.”
Brunner’s pin ended any potential of an Ervin comeback. But he left Champaign as the highest placer in program history, and credits last year’s failure to advance downstate for making it possible.
“I only had one more shot in my senior year to do everything I could to get here, and I took it,” Ervin said. “(Torres) talked me through it and I got here.
“You have to enjoy every second in this sport, no matter what happens. You have to love it and embrace the grind. You might never be satisfied in this sport, but if you embrace the grind, you’ll love it and you’ll be able to hold your head up high.”
Naperville North’s Lucas VanPoucke (113) and Naperville Central’s Cam Hayes (160) went 1-2 in Champaign, while Ihry (195) and Central’s Jake Keating (120) lost their lone downstate matches.
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.
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