Libertyville senior Owen McGrory is getting used to punching above his weight.
When teammate Cole Matulenko blocked him at 195 pounds last season, McGrory wrestled against bigger and stronger opponents at 220.
“It was kind of tough because there was a big gap between 195 and 220,” McGrory said. “It helped me with my development. I think I was a lot faster and had better technique.”
Indeed, McGrory ended up having a successful season at 220. He went 45-8 with 26 pins, reaching the blood rounds at the Class 3A state meet, while Matulenko won a state title at 195.
“We knew Owen was smart enough to be a winning wrestler,” Libertyville coach Dale Eggert said. “But we didn’t know how he would handle giving up that much weight.”
McGrory then found himself in a similar situation in football. After playing linebacker as a junior, the coaches decided to put him in the trenches.
“We had a small team, so they needed help on the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “I had to make that adjustment again. It was kind of difficult. I was the smallest guy on the offensive line and one of the smallest on the defensive line.”
But the 6-foot-2, 200-pound McGrory, who also plays lacrosse, thrived once again. He had 25 tackles with a sack and blocked a punt, and he was voted the most valuable defensive lineman for the playoff-qualifying Wildcats (5-5).
“Going up against bigger guys, especially the past year in wrestling at 220, helped me with football,” he said. “I think I had to use my technique a lot since most guys were bigger and stronger than me.”
When the Illinois High School Association adopted new weight classes for this season, McGrory (30-2) started competing at 215. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Duke commit is excelling again. He won tournaments at Barrington, Glenbard West and Prospect; he placed second at Oshkosh, Wisconsin; and he was third at Harlem. He is ranked No. 3 in the state by FloWrestling.
“One thing that helped me is I’ve gotten a little bigger and stronger,” McGrory said. “I’m more suited for the weight than last year, but I’m still undersized. I did more weightlifting in the offseason and wrestled more and became more comfortable with the bigger guys.”
Wrestling is a big part of the McGrory household. His father, Tim, a 1988 Loyola graduate who wrestled for one season at Northwestern, helps run the Libertyville Wrestling Club.
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Tim McGrory, who wrestled at 138 during his senior season at Loyola, said Owen had a big growth spurt right before his freshman season.
“I think (Owen) wrestled at 119 in eighth grade, then at 160 as a freshman,” Tim McGrory said. “He had an odd mixture of genes to grow that much. But wrestling so many big kids as a middle weight allowed him to use his quickness and good technique with shots against the bigger kids.”
Owen McGrory eventually borrowed from his father’s repertoire.
“This year he has more diversity with his moves,” Tim McGrory said. “He’s become a very strong leg rider, which is something I did. Also, the fireman’s carry was my thing; he started to develop that this year.”
Owen McGrory intends to follow in his father’s footsteps by attending an academically selective college and wrestle there. He scored a 35 out of 36 on the ACT.
But McGrory has one last score to settle before heading to Durham. He’d like to join the club that includes Matulenko and former Libertyville standout Josh Knudten, who won a state title in 2022.
“At the very least, I want to place at state, but my main goal is to win or to get on the podium,” McGrory said. “Winning it would be great to give us three years in a row.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.