Deerfield is a model of wrestling consistency.
However, that was not the case during the early years of coach Marc Pechter’s tenure.
Pechter came over from Stevenson, where he was an assistant, to take over a struggling program in 2001. After averaging just four dual-meet victories each in his first three seasons, the Warriors program came alive.
Deerfield has 20 or more wins every season since 2011, with back-to-back 26-win seasons in 2014 and 2015. The Warriors are 24-2 heading onto Saturday’s 11 a.m. quarterfinal vs. Conant (17-4) in the Class 3A Team State Tournament at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington.
“It was pretty ugly,” said Pechter of those early years. “Friends asked me why I made the move to a program with so little to offer.
“I guess we all need and like a challenge in life, and this one would be mine. It took awhile, but after turning around the culture, and changing the way this sport would be looked at here at the school and community, it slowly came alive. With each bit of success, we would strive for even more — setting the standards and goals a little bit higher each time. And with the help of a great coaching staff, and the commitment from the kids and their families, we really have something to be proud of now.”
The Warriors won their fifth consecutive Central Suburban League Tournament title this year, and are three-time defending regional champs. This is their second trip to team state after losing 33-30 to Lockport in the 2015 quarterfinals.
“Before 2007, we were nowhere to be found when it came to the CSL,” Pechter said. “But we take a lot of pride in winning the league title as many times as we have, as it’s a springboard to the state series.”
In its 194-156.5 win over runner-up Stevenson at the Libertyville Regional, Deerfield was led by four individual champs: Kyle Clough (42-8 at 120 pounds), Holden Heller (42-5, 138) and Kenny Kerstein (38-11, 145) and Cody Goodman (30-13, 220).
“Kyle Clough has gone beyond expectations with his 9-to-5 work rate — just quietly going about his job, all the while adding one technical fall after another to his career totals,” said Pechter of his four-time CSL champion.
Goodman got the Warriors rolling in Tuesday’s 40-25 sectional win over Barrington, getting the first win in a 28-0 run to open the dual.
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“Cody Goodman has been a pleasant surprise as a freshmen at 220,” Pechter said. “And he’s having a lot of fun being around this really close-knit team, and that’s been great to watch.”
Michael Garofola is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.