Aurora Christian sophomore Josh Vasquez has a savvy and guile that belies his youth.
One of the most promising wrestlers in the state, Vasquez showed subtle growth Saturday. And that he’s ready to make the next great leap forward against anyone on the mat.
“Every time I go up against an elite wrestler, I just think back to how long I have been wrestling,” Vasquez said. “The same guy next to me — he’s probably been wrestling as long as me.
“But I’ve been pushing myself and working really hard. I think I am the hardest working person here.”
Vasquez went to work against Loyola’s Massey Odiotti at 120 pounds, winning 8-5 in the championship match of the Moore-Prettyman Invitational at Barrington.
The victory was an early statement for Vasquez given that Odiotti was a defending state finalist who finished second at 113 last season in Class 3A.
“I think what really worked for me was escaping from the bottom very quickly,” Vasquez said. “Also having good leg defense and not letting him score a late takedown on me.”
While Vasquez proved his dazzling freshman performance was no fluke, perhaps more telling, he earned a measure of revenge in reversing last year’s loss against Odiotti in the same invite.
The emotional dynamics have never felt more acute.
“I like to be aggressive and look for my shots,” Vasquez said. “Or try to get my guy into the headlock.”
Even as he struggled qualifying at the lower weights, Vasquez made quite the impression in his rookie season. He posted a 24-10 record and finished fourth in Class 2A at 132.
That’s not a typo. Vasquez wrestled two classes above his ideal weight.
“I was just wrestling a little heavier, just to see how I’d do,” he said. “There was no weight cut. I was just going out there and doing how I always do.
“The whole experience was very beneficial, wrestling downstate. You get to see how the day goes — how to manage your weight and get through the competition.”
Vasquez also has the ideal training partner in sophomore Deven Casey, who went 32-7 and took third in the state at 106.
Their private workouts and training sessions signaled an intensity, purpose and drive.
“We are close friends outside of school and compete against each other in every aspect of my life,” Casey said. “It’s tough and competitive. When it comes to wrestling, we just go at it.”
Vasquez also signifies the deepening personal bond that entwines the wrestling programs of Aurora Christian and Montini.
Last season, Montini transfers Braden Stauffenberg (152) and Nate Wenstrom (195) captured individual state championships for the Eagles.
The two were former teammates at Montini with Nain Vasquez, Josh’s older.
During the 2019-20 season, Nain finished fourth in the state in Class 3A at 120. He also helped the Broncos capture the dual team state championship.
Nain is now a freshman wrestler at West Point.
“My brother was a big influence with me getting into the sport,” Josh said. “We lived in Arkansas. My dad wrestled a couple of years, and he started us both out.
“Then we moved to Illinois for better competition.”
Now, Josh is determined to continue the level of achievement set last season by Stauffenberg and Wenstrom.
“Wrestling is a tough sport — the hardest in the world — and that makes it different than basketball or baseball,” Vasquez said said. “I want to continue building the program up, win some titles and leave our legacy.”
“Josh works hard in the wrestling room but works just as hard in the classroom,” Aurora Christian coach Danny Alcocer said. “I am proud of the success he is having in the mat and excited to see where the future takes him.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.