With last season’s disappointment of falling one victory short of a trip downstate still etched in his mind, Liam Collins is prepared for his final chance to get to Champaign.
Despite his wish to be a part of the 16-man state tournament at 138 pounds, it has not consumed Collins’ life to the point where it has made reaching that goal feel more like work instead of the sport he enjoys.
“Trust me, that loss in my state-qualifying match really hurt -— still does, a little bit,” Collins said. “This time around, my plan is to get myself back in another state-qualifying match. I believe if I do, I’ll advance.
“But if not, I’ll be fine with it, as long as I know I gave it my best.”
So far, so good for Collins, who won the Class 3A Streamwood Regional title on Saturday. He earned a 9-5 victory against Conant’s Joe Gomez in the 138-pound final.
Jackson Kohlberg (126) and Michael Womeldorf (152) also won their weight classes to pace the Mustangs to a fourth-place team finish with 97.5 points.
Conant (215.5) edged Prospect (184.5) for the regional title.
Collins first competed as a 113-pound freshman, then won 20 matches and reached the sectional tournament as a sophomore. At 138 pounds as a junior, he navigated his way through the Conant Sectional bracket before being eliminated by Joe Czernek of Glenbard North.
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“Czernek was a quality opponent, but I only had myself to blame for the loss,” Collins said. “Nobody else.”
Collins said the loss fueled an all-out offseason training regimen.
It included a wrestling camp in the Wisconsin Dells — along with teammates Kohlberg and Womeldorf — a variety of tournaments, plus time spent at Izzy Style Wrestling in Addison, where he concentrated on fitness and conditioning.
“Liam had the most offseason matches of anyone on our team and is one of the hardest workers in the room,” coach John Bassler said.
Despite a terrific 28-6 record, which includes several victories against state-ranked opponents, Collins’ name is absent from various state polls.
“Liam has had great year, but even with him beating four or five state-ranked guys, he’s not even on the honorable mention list,” Bassler said. “I don’t understand, but it doesn’t bother Liam. He wants to earn his recognition by placing and winning tournaments during these last few weeks of the season.”
Collins also runs cross country in the fall and the middle-distance events during track season in the spring.
In the coming weeks, Collins will decide if he will continue to wrestle next fall in college, perhaps at Elmhurst or Augustana.
He also hopes to study wildlife or marine biology, which could take him to Miami (Fla.) or the University of Tampa.
But first comes the Class 3A Conant Sectional, where Collins will have one more chance to get to state.
“I want to give my full attention to the last few weeks of my career, have as much fun with it as I can,” Collins said. “But when the season is over, I’ll sit down and sort it all out.”
Michael Garofola is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press