For Deerfield senior Kyle Clough, failure begot motivation, and motivation begot success.
Two years ago, Clough went 42-8 at 113 pounds and advanced to the Class 3A individual wrestling state tournament in Champaign.
As a junior, Clough had another fine year and won his third consecutive Central Suburban League tournament title. But then he lost a 120-pound challenge match to a teammate in Deerfield’s practice room and had to give up his individual postseason spot on the roster.
The pain of having his individual downstate hopes dashed last year was hard to take.
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“The disappointment of not being able to wrestle (in Champaign) again pretty much fueled me throughout the offseason,” Clough said. “I don’t think there’s been a point since then that I’ve been over that disappointment.
“But I’ve used it. It made me work all that much harder for this year.”
That hard work produced a 30-5 record through his first 35 matches this season.
Deerfield begins each season at Antioch’s 16-team Ted DeRousse tournament. On Nov. 26, Clough reached the title match in Antioch for the third time in his varsity career.
Standing across from him, for the third time, was West Aurora’s Isaac Jacquez, a three-time Class 3A state qualifier and a state medalist.
“I lost to (Jacquez) in the finals of that tournament for the past two years,” Clough said. “The third time I was able to pin him. He’s really aggressive, he likes to push the pace, and I knew I just had to match that intensity.”
Clough was named the MVP of the tournament, as voted on by the coaches of the 16 teams in Antioch.
“He’s pretty complete as a wrestler,” Deerfield coach Marc Pechter said. “Some guys are good on their feet, or on top or bottom, but he’s good in each area. He rides people well and turns people a lot, which allows him to pile up those points. He takes guys down, and he’s able to turn them.”
Some wrestlers are pinners, and some grind out close decision wins. Clough’s ability to pile up points put him on a path to chase Deerfield’s program record for technical fall wins this year.
Clough tied the program’s single-season record of 15 technical fall wins at a mega-dual tournament at Waubonsie Valley on Jan. 7, and he is close to the program’s career record of 26 tech falls.
“I’ve always been able to turn guys, but the last couple seasons I’ve gone for pins just to get us more team points,” Clough said. “This year, I decided to try to push the pace and score more points and get myself in the best possible shape for the end of the year. That’s when the idea to try to break the tech record came in.”
In December, Clough placed fifth at 126 pounds at the Hinsdale Central’s Rex Whitlach Invitational, one of Illinois’ toughest regular-season tournaments. Then he placed third at 120 pounds at Palatine’s 32-team Berman Holiday Classic.
Having won CSL titles at 106, 113, and 120 pounds, Clough will try to become a four-time CSL champion at the conference meet on Jan. 21 at Maine South.
After that, he doesn’t intend to miss out on a chance at wrestling in Champaign again.
“I feel a lot more motivated and a lot stronger this year,” Clough said. “I’m going out there this year wrestling my style, where in past years I was too worried about what the other guy was going to do. Now I’m more focused on what I need to do.”
Pechter said he also sees a difference in Clough in his senior year.
“There’s a confidence about him now,” Pechter said. “There’s a borderline between confident and cocky, and he’s confident. He knows what he needs to do, and he just takes care of business.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press