DJ Penick nearly quit the Highland Park wrestling team. Three months later, he’s sure glad he didn’t.
Penick, a junior, placed sixth in the Class 3A 170-pound division Saturday, Feb. 20, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, becoming the 14th state medalist in program history.
“All odds were against me ever since I came into the regional tournament,” Penick said. “I was unseeded, went on to take third. Then I went on to win my sectional bracket and pin a kid (Deerfield’s Sage Heller) who was in the state finals. Nobody expected me to place, so to take top six, it feels great.”
It’s a testament to Penick and Highland Park for sticking it out. The junior briefly left the program one week into the season.
“When he came out for the team, I could tell,” Highland Park coach Chris Riley said. “It wasn’t business as usual.”
Garnering recognition for his two-way play on the gridiron, Penick figured he’d focus on football rather than endure another grueling wrestling season.
The break didn’t last long, though. Penick took about a week off before realizing he wanted to compete. So when he came back, he spoke with his coaches and teammates regarding his absence. The program took him back, and Penick put up a 26-11 record.
“After he had some time to reflect, he came back and reconsidered and wanted to get back on the mat,” Riley said. “We went through a bit of a process, talked to the seniors about it. It was a collaborative thing, and it worked out.”
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“I’ve got to give a lot of thanks to everybody: our program and our community, and especially our coaches,” Penick said. “They really helped me a lot this season. It’s been a great experience.”
Penick signaled out Riley and assistant coach Danny Fisher for spurring his progression.
Some football players struggle with making a certain weight class, but Riley told Penick to “keep lifting and get as big as he wanted.” Highland Park would continue to find a place for him.
“We’ve got a couple hammers coming back that you can build around,” Riley said, looking ahead to next year. “Some other kids in the program will be the beneficiaries of that.”
Alex Rosenbloom, a 138-pound sophomore, is one of the key components slated to return.
Rosenbloom (18-5) qualified for state but received a tough draw before exiting the tournament with two defeats. He lost a tight 4-2 decision to Sandburg two-time state medalist Christian Robertson before being ousted by Plainfield East three-time state qualifier Zach Krause in wrestlebacks.
“Mark my words,” Penick said, “that kid (Rosenbloom) is going to be on the top of the podium by his senior year.”
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @LoganFXM