Naperville Central junior Ethan Olson processes information as if he were watching television on fast forward.
“I have to push the pace,” he said. “You can’t be lazy at this point. If you’re lazy, guys are going to upset you.”
Olson avoided the upset Saturday in the 126-pound championship match of the Class 3A Naperville Central Regional. He used a four-point takedown and near fall to spark a 9-3 victory over Marmion’s Christian Favia.
More Top Picks Kingfun
Olson (25-6) was the only individual regional champion for the Redhawks, who had five finalists.
Naperville Central, which finished third in the team standings, had eight qualifiers for Saturday’s Hinsdale Central Sectional.
Being a regional champion was the next step for Olson, who as a freshman two years ago was part of the Redhawks’ dual meet team that qualified for the sectional. He wrestled at 106.
Last year as a sophomore, Olson reached the state meet conducted by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. He achieved a new standard of excellence this season by virtue of his guile, quickness and dynamic footwork.
“Everything changes throughout the year,” Olson said. “Freshman year, I thought it was cool I was on the varsity. Last year, I made it downstate, but I didn’t do very well. I lost both of my matches down there.
“It still gave me a mental boost, and now I have been training so hard to get down to Champaign.”
Senior teammate Ayden Lutes, who finished second in the regional at 152, said Olson’s development has been boosted by his talent, drive and willingness to experiment.
“These past couple of weeks, the hard worker he is has come to mind,” Lutes said of Olson. “He has really made a lot of improvements.
“The impressive thing about him is that he’s got those big moves. You can never count him out of any position. He can either go big or wear guys out.”
Olson executed that type of major move in the regional final. As the stakes become more elevated, he knows he has to rise to the moment.
“It’s a cool part of the sport, just being out there one-on-one for six minutes with the other guy,” Olson said. “It’s really putting your heart into it. That is one of the greatest things, just going out there and battling.
“It is going to be tough getting out of the sectionals, but I am going to work my hardest and see what happens.”
Back in action: Lutes (18-1), meanwhile, returned to competition for the first time since suffering a broken hand in December.
He posted a technical fall and a decision in the preliminary rounds before losing 3-0 to Marmion’s Collin Carrigan.
Dramatic win: Naperville North senior Cameron Clark pulled out a 4-2 overtime victory over Marmion’s Tegan Chumbley for the 145-pound title.
“Wrestling is the true sport of imposing your will on another,” Clark said.
Ben Messier, second at 106, and Tyler Sternstein, who finished third at 120, were the Huskies’ other sectional qualifiers.
Throwing a curve: Most wrestlers move up in weight class as they get older. Waubonsie Valley senior Antonio Torres did the exact opposite.
Torres (26-0) finished fifth two years ago at 170 for Waubonsie and then second in the same weight class last year for Naperville Central. He’s now down to a svelte 160.
Torres pinned Marmion’s Kenny Siwicki in the first period to take the regional title.
“Originally, I was around 175 pounds, but it wasn’t a good 175,” Torres said. “I was bigger, slower and felt like I could make the cut.
More Top Picks Porter Cable Pcc795br
“I played pretty light during football and I was progressively losing weight. I thought 160 was the right weight for me.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.