Final ascent

West Aurora senior Mario Gonzalez already had a successful prep wrestling career prior to his final season.

Wrestling on Day 2 of the state meet as a freshman and winning medals as a sophomore and junior put Gonzalez among the elite in Illinois.

But one thing eluded him: a state championship.

As his senior season moved on, it became clear Gonzalez was not about to graduate without climbing atop the medal stand.

"It was clear that his abilities to wrestle were way above his competition," said Sean Bormet, a former college All-American who works with Gonzalez at Overtime School of Wrestling in Naperville. "I think all his efforts really started to culminate and resulted in his confidence soaring. His confidence matched his abilities and he wasn't going to be beat."

Sure enough, save for one loss in the opening weeks of the season, Gonzalez was not beaten, steamrolling to the state championship in Class 3A at 189 pounds and earning the nod as The Beacon News' Wrestling Athlete of the Year.

"Now that I look back, I'm pretty satisfied," he said. "I don't think it could have been any better. I was dominant the whole (state) tournament. It feels good."

Bormet first saw Gonzalez wrestle as a freshman, a period that baffles Gonzalez somewhat.

"I don't understand how I won. I was terrible," he said after reviewing film of that season.

Gonzalez was extremely raw, but wrestling at 171 pounds at such a high level as a freshman is rare, and Bormet knew he could become a special talent.

"I saw some real natural, instinctive talent and some athletic ability for a young wrestler his size," Bormet said. "It was clear that his wrestling skills were in the early developmental stages, but he had promise."

Gonzalez started working out at Overtime in the summer between his freshman and sophomore years and was shown a world he had never seen. Bormet and his staff instilled the work ethic Gonzalez needed to reach an elite level and also introduced him to freestyle wrestling.

"It helped me gain a lot more confidence on my feet and made me a better overall wrestler," Gonzalez said.

He also started lifting weights for the first time and started to grasp the nuances of the sport. Many elite wrestlers start as young kids; Gonzalez didn't pick up the sport until junior high.

"He had a good foundation and skill set, but I don't really think he knew from a training standpoint what it really took to make those kinds of improvements," Bormet said. "We had to educate him on that. Early on, I think he was more of a reactive wrestler. We work a lot on becoming an active, attacking wrestler."

It all came together last month in Champaign as he dominated the field at 189 and won a state title on the floor he hopes to call home for the next four years. College coaches did not get a good look at Gonzalez last summer because he missed the national freestyle meet with mononucleosis. They definitely paid attention as Gonzalez rolled through his senior season.

But all along, Gonzalez has wanted to call the University of Illinois home, and all that's left for him to do is sign on the dotted line.

"That's the college I wanted to go to since I started wrestling," he said. "A lot of other coaches were calling, but I wasn't really interested. I only wanted Illinois. When they finally called, I was relieved."

There are clearly many obstacles to overcome to succeed at the collegiate level, both on the mat and off. But Bormet, a state champion at Providence who starred at the University of Michigan, thinks Gonzalez has the goods.

"Mario still has a ton of undeveloped potential," Bormet said. "This year, he started to scratch the surface of what he's capable of. There are a lot of external hurdles. I think if he can handle that and get himself in a good college environment with real good, consistent training partners, I think he still has a ton of upside."