Lockport is on the march

CHAMPAIGN -- Two years ago, a light bulb-like flash went off inside the head of Joe Williams.

The Lockport High School wrestling coach spotted a couple of promising sophomores rolling around on the mats in the Porters' training room and came to the quick realization something special was brewing.

He knew from the moment he started working with Kevin Bialka and Mark Stenberg they possessed all the necessary qualities to become champions. Williams also knew he had coming from the fine lineage of the Oster family another young man cut from a proven mold.

Williams couldn't have known then Jameson Oster would be mature enough as a sophomore to keep his composure after twice being punched in the nose during a 15-6 victory over Diontae Brown of Marist in a 119-pound semifinal match at the 3A state tournament on Saturday morning at Assembly Hall.

Nor could Williams have known Oster would lead a Lockport parade into the Grand March a few hours later. Oster was one of three Porters grappling for individual state championships on a night when Lockport capped its most successful wrestling season in high style.

The Porters posted an 18-2 record in dual meets and climbed as high as No. 3 in the Illinois Best Weekly's 3A poll. They won their first conference wrestling championship. And they sent six individuals to the 3A state tournament.

Four of them still were wrestling on the last day as Lockport maintained a slim lead over Oak Park-River Forest in the unofficial scoring of the tourney as late as the semifinal round of wrestlebacks. Mike Tetlow's bid to fight back for a medal in the heavyweight class came to an end when Hinsdale Central's Pat Clegg scored a last-second takedown in his 7-5 victory.

At one point, Clegg's coach -- Jim Zajicek -- was riding the two referees working the match. Zajicek complained of Tetlow's tie-up tactics, "He hasn't taken a shot all season."

Now, anyone who knows anything about wrestling knows heavyweights don't shoot -- they bang.

Tetlow, Williams and the Porters reveled in the humor they attached to Zajicek's criticism, labeling it the one-liner of the season. One of Tetlow's coaches even went so far as to correct Zajicek, saying, "No, we've kept a count. He's taken two shots."

The point to be taken from the light-hearted exchange: Williams and his bunch know how to mix business with pleasure. They also know what goes into the makings of a storybook season.

Williams spoke about the dedication of his boys. He spoke about staying injury-free. And he spoke about delegating authority. He said he learned to trust his assistants a few years ago and credited them for putting in the time and effort to build Lockport's program to the point where it is now -- a consistent power.

The Porters have advanced at least one individual to the state semifinals in each of the last seven years. They have returned home with multiple medal winners for two years running and there is every reason to believe their streak could continue for an indefinite period of time. Freshman 189-pounder Brad Johnson won 29 matches and qualified for the state tournament despite looking like a boy grappling with grown men at times in a class often dominated by big, strong bruisers.

Two other Lockport freshmen also raised eyebrows -- 103-pounder Tony Rossi and 145-pounder Shaun 'Qae McMurtry.

"We had a little state sendoff back at school, before we left," Williams said. "I thanked the parents. The parents allowed us to coach these boys. And I can't say enough about my assistants. I finally figured this out about four years ago -- that having good assistants is such an important part of the program.

"I backed off a little bit. I enjoy watching them coach. And I enjoy watching the kids wrestle. Every one of our coaches has a role. They have their own kids they coach. That compartmentalizes the whole program, which takes a lot stress off a lot of us."

The names of Williams' assistants are important to mention here because without their contributions the Porters would be a shadow of themselves. The roll call runs the gamut from Matt Bartley, Dan Blaskovitz and George Brecheisen to Jeff Kastel, David Mackey, Josh Oster and Jason Sherko.

And, don't forget, Brian Klene worked with many of the boys in the Porters' room for years and years before retiring from coaching to take a job as Lockport's activity director.. He was up in the stands on Saturday beaming like the proud father that he is, only this time his pride was the result of the work of his extended family.

Josh Oster is the man who drives the Lockport bus -- quite literally. He is in charge of coordinating an off-season regime that often results in long road trips and takes the Porters miles from home to find the best possible competition.

He has enjoyed the Porters' wondrous ride for a variety of reasons, the opportunity to bond with his little brother at or near the top of the list. He calls Jameson Oster by the nickname of "Bubba" -- presumably because Jameson is leading a life that's yummy like a box of chocolates.

"It's very cool," Josh Oster said. "I've been lucky enough now to coach my second brother in the state finals. Jake (Oster) won the 112-pound state championship in my first year coaching."

And, to think, Williams pictured all this coming as far back as that day two years ago when a light bulb flashed on and he saw the future unfolding on a screen in the back of his head. His powers go beyond that of teaching a double-leg takedown.

email: rkremer@scn1.com