Duffy, Ramos signing up with Big Ten
Three years ago, then-freshman Jimmy Duffy walked into Neuqua Valley's wrestling room at the start of the season and had to name his goals for the future.
Today, one of those goals will be met.
"One of the goals he talked about was wrestling for a Division I program," said Wildcats coach Mick Ruettiger. "He knew as a freshman that he had a passion for the sport."
Duffy and Glenbard North senior Vince Ramos will both sign letters of intent at their respective high schools, with Duffy signing up to wrestle for Wisconsin and Ramos inking his name to compete for Indiana next year.
Two of the state's best wrestlers for the past three seasons will be Big Ten athletes next season -- a dream that many Illinois athletes annually have but only a handful get to realize.
Both Duffy and Ramos have done whatever it took to get there.
"Vince has been wrestling, basically, since he was out of the womb," said Panthers coach Mark Hahn. "He has wrestled at a high level for a long time, and he's been dedicated to it his whole life."
Ramos also considered Iowa, Nebraska and Arizona State before deciding on the Hoosiers.
"They're ranked in the top 15 in the country, and they're coming back with four All-Americans," Ramos said. "I liked the facilities, the coaching staff, and I bonded well with the guys there."
Both Duffy and Ramos have had exceptional high school wrestling careers. Duffy was a state qualifier in '05 and '06 and went 38-6 and finished second in Illinois last year at 145 pounds.
Ramos placed third at 140 at last year's individual Class AA finals in Champaign after finishing fifth his freshman year and third as a sophomore.
"When you make it downstate in Illinois, you get on somebody's radar screen," Ruettiger said.
The next step toward exposure for both was the national high school tournament held every summer at Fargo, where both have earned All-America honors.
Ramos enters this season with a high school record of 121-17, and Duffy enters his final year with a 101-28 record. Ramos will wrestle at either 145 or 152 pounds, while Duffy will be at either 152 or 160.
Both will chase the brass rings of team and individual state titles just one more time before departing for big-time college wrestling.
"Division I is the pinnacle of college wrestling," Hahn said. "Vince has worked hard, and I think we'll see some great things from him this year."
"(Duffy) knew he had to work his tail off to even get a sniff at wrestling Division I, and that's what he did," Ruettiger said.