In a match at the East Suburban Catholic Conference wrestling tournament on Jan. 27, Nazareth junior Gavin Smith exploded into an opponent with a double-leg shot, but Smith’s forward momentum was driving the two wrestlers out of bounds.
His opponent fell outside the circle, but Smith hung on to him and dragged the toes of both feet inside the circle to earn the two-point takedown.
“That was something I learned watching a state championship match last year,” Smith said. “I saw (Hinsdale Central Class 3A state champion) Matt Allen do it. That’s where I picked that up.”
In only his third full season of wrestling, Smith has learned a lot in a short amount of time. After going 12-9 as a sectional qualifier last year, Smith was 19-4 heading into the Class 2A Dolton Sectional on Saturday after placing second at 220 in the Feb. 4 regional tournament at Lemont.
Smith, sophomore Louie Stec (195) and freshman Alex Carrillo (132) all qualified for the Dolton Sectional for the Roadrunners.
Nazareth coach Denis Laughlin has watched Smith take a big step since last season.
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“He was more of a brawler last year and this year, he’s a wrestler,” Laughlin said. “He has a great work ethic, he asks the right questions and when he makes a mistake, he’s quick to correct it in his next match.”
Smith’s learning curve in wrestling began after his freshman football season at Nazareth ended. Smith wanted to play a winter sport, so football coaches suggested that wrestling would improve his skills as an offensive lineman in terms of footwork, leverage and hand-fighting abilities.
The benefits a football player gains from wrestling didn’t end there, Smith said.
“You get a lot of technique that transfers to the football field from wrestling, and conditioning in wrestling makes the conditioning in football a lot easier,” Smith said. “It’s a lot harder wrestling for six minutes than it is running for six minutes.”
As a sophomore during the 2015-16 school year, Smith was an offensive lineman on Nazareth’s Class 5A state championship football team. That’s when he said he decided to commit ever further to wrestling.
Smith and Stec wrestled in Chicago on Sundays during the offseason and entered four tournaments during the summer. The extra work paid dividends heading into this season.
“As a freshman and even as a sophomore, I didn’t know many moves, so my mentality was just to do whatever I could to win,” Smith said. “It was more or less just a pushing match. This year, it’s more wrestling.”
After Smith’s sophomore varsity wrestling season ended, the outgoing seniors on the 2015-16 team nominated him to be a captain for this season. Laughlin said Smith has been instrumental in helping a young team acclimate to varsity wrestling.
Smith said he tries to lead by example and show others how to approach every practice and competition.
“They’re all very hard-working kids, every day, and their age is not an issue,” Smith said. “It’s just their experience on the mat that’s lacking.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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