There is nothing like a little negative reinforcement to provide motivation.
Lisle wrestler Josh Means didn’t just lose a match he should have won in last year’s Class A sectional. Means then had to sit in the stands in Champaign’s Assembly Hall and watch a wrestler he had defeated four times compete in the state tournament.
“It was real hard,” said Means, a senior. “Three of the kids who made the state tournament I had beaten during the season and beat bad. One of them I pinned and almost technical falled the other two. It was real hard to watch those kids knowing I could have been a state place-winner. I was right there with the best of them.
More Top Picks Niu Kqi3 Max
“I’ve looked at that loss and that situation a lot. It’s motivation for this year. The big thing is I learned a good lesson last year. I know I can’t make that same mistake again. I realize how important it is to come through when it really counts.”
Means was cruising in the state series, winning the Lisle regional with a pin of Montini’s Cole Beebe, until he got to the Plano sectional. That’s when it happened. Means was upset by Burlington Central’s J.R. Raney in the first round. Raney lost in the next round and Means’ season was over.
The loss was a perfect example of what can happen when focus is lost. Means’ match with Raney was called a little early and there was a delay for an injury on an adjoining mat. By the time Means’ match began, he was almost worn out from warming up.
“There was about a 15-minute delay and he came out flat,” said Lisle coach John Ruettiger. “I think he’s learned from that.”
The pain of not being on the awards stand in front of 10,000 fans stayed with Means all summer. He spent most of his free time working out and lifting weights for the football season and his return to the wrestling mat. He was a co-captain as a 150-pound noseguard on the Lions’ playoff football team.
Means’ hard work has paid off in wrestling, too, with a 34-1 record in the 140-pound weight class. His only loss was in overtime to Montini’s Craig Tokarski. Means will have a chance–maybe two–to avenge that defeat. Montini also is in the Westmont regional, which begins this weekend. The two teams also will be in the Plano sectional. Means and Tokarski could possibly meet the next three weekends.
“I think I’ve been wrestling well,” Means said. “I definitely made some mistakes in that one match I lost. I’ve corrected them. I think that one loss was good, in a way. I’d rather lose then instead of when it counts. It takes some of the pressure off of being undefeated. People kind of back off and that’s good. You can remain focused and you don’t get sidetracked.
“In a lot of ways, it was a good thing. It reminds me a lot of Kevin Walton [Lisle’s 2001 189-pound state champion] when he lost his one match [to Montini’s Adam Clay]. That should never have happened. He came back and won the state tournament.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I want to beat him and beat him again and prove that I’m the better wrestler. I really don’t think seeing him again and again is a bad thing. I think that I’ll have learned more from wrestling him. Being a senior, I think I know how to correct myself.”
This has been a rebuilding season for Lisle. The Lions lost 10 wrestlers from last year’s regional champions. The team finished with a 12-9 record, but Means’ leadership was a positive force.
“He worked really hard over the summer,” Ruettiger said. “His goal is to become a state champion. He’s worked hard every day in practice and has been a great leader for this young team.”
Next year Means won’t wrestle or play football. He’ll attend the University of Illinois or Bradley University to study engineering.
Because every match has the potential to be his last, Means knows how important every move is. He wants to get to the point he was last year and turn things around.
“I’m looking forward to getting there,” Means said. “It’s going to happen again. I’m going to be in that position again, and I’m going to have to come through. I’ve been preparing for that all year.”