With all that Hinsdale South’s Danish Qureshi accomplished during his junior wrestling season, it is hard to imagine that it might have been derailed when he was younger.
A state qualifier in 2016 at 120 pounds, Qureshi considered quitting earlier in his high school career.
“I was tired of losing,” Qureshi said. “I did not have a bad record my sophomore year, but I told myself I could do a lot better.”
After a period of introspection, he decided to continue wrestling.
“I told my family that I wanted to make it to state,” said Qureshi, a Darien resident. “(After) my sophomore year, I did a lot of camps and lifted a lot longer. My junior year I just went all out. I had a lot of matches and had a pretty good record (28-6).”
Last year, Qureshi finished second at 120 pounds at the Class 2A Lemont Sectional before dropping both of his matches at state. He has wrestled on varsity since his freshman year, when he was given a choice to move up or wrestle at the lower level. The thought of moving up to varsity was intimidating, but ultimately he accepted the challenge.
“I decided to wrestle varsity, and it turned out to be a really good choice,” Qureshi said. “I did not really want to do it, but I stuck to it. I really worked harder and started to win a lot more matches. So I was really able to get a sense of how hard work pays off.”
Even though first-year varsity coach Bobby O’Brien was not at the school during Qureshi’s freshman year, he has been impressed with what he has seen the past three years.
“He is a four-year varsity starter,” O’Brien said. “He is just one of those guys that has always been there and working hard. He has always been doing the right thing.
“He has almost been an extension of the coaching staff the last two years, he is that much of a leader.”
Qureshi is wrestling at 126 pounds this season and won a 11-4 decision when the Hornets defeated Leyden in a dual meet on Jan. 12.
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In practices, Qureshi’s most frequent partner is junior Easa Aristizabal, who wrestles at 145 pounds. The disparity in weight does not seem to pose a problem.
“(They) are probably the best pair of guys, the best practice group we have now,” O’Brien said. “They are great with each other. I think what you are looking for is less of a weight-class pairing and more of a focus.
“It’s more about the partner than the size of the partner. You want to have someone that will push you both mentally and physically. When he and Easa wrestle together, it is more productive.”
If Qureshi wrestles in college, he is considering North Central College. His goal for his senior season is to qualify for state and place, in addition to being an example for his teammates.
“I just came to the realization that I need to be a leader for my team,” Qureshi said. “I just have to keep pushing them because we do not have a lot of kids. But the kids that are there, they want to work.”
Patrick Kelly is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press