Justice not denied at SCN

It was a case of love at first sight for Eric Justice.

As a youngster the St. Charles North senior was immersed in a variety of sports, and his introduction to football required a deft emotional appeal.

"I had to beg my parents into playing football because I was so small," he said.

It was during his foray on the gridiron that he encountered Nathan Fitzenreider, who recently became the all-time career leader in wrestling wins at Wheaton North.

"His dad said that if I wanted to get better at football that I should try wrestling," Justice said.

St. Charles was on the verge of splitting into two high schools when Justice enrolled in the youth wrestling program in 1999.

"I just enjoyed it so much," Justice said. "I ended up quitting all my other sports. I knew if I wanted to succeed at (wrestling), I would have to do it 11 or 12 months out of the year."

When Justice captured the first tournament he ever participated in, an elementary-age event sponsored by Northern Illinois University, there was no turning back.

The road to high school was not paved with gold, however, and a shoulder injury incurred in the latter stages of middle school proved to be the first roadblock to varsity success.

Justice missed his entire freshman season when the injury ultimately required surgery, and his sophomore campaign was equally frustrating: a knee injury cost him a chance to participate in the state series.

Like a number of schools that began without a senior class, St. Charles North took its fair share of lumps from other schools while building the foundations of its athletic programs.

But the girls golf and soccer programs had breakthrough achievements, placing second in the state in Class AA competition while the school was in its infancy.

For the St. Charles North wrestling program, though, there was a glaring hole in its resume: the school had yet to produce an individual state qualifier.

"The impression was that the program couldn't produce a state qualifier," first-year St. Charles North coach Scott Trizzino said.

But Justice was determined to alter the perception.

Wrestling at 135 pounds as a junior, Justice shot up the state rankings with a series of tournament titles, the most notable coming at Hinsdale Central.

The road to Champaign had an important pit stop when the Upstate Eight Conference schools convened for their league championship.

Justice topped Neuqua Valley freshman Nick Proctor for the title, and Elgin was the destination for the first state preliminary.

Needing a top-three finish to advance to the Glenbard North sectional, Justice was guaranteed inclusion when he reached the finals at Elgin.

But every wrestler knows the sectional is an entirely different animal.

Justice won his first two matches, bringing him to the cusp of 40 wins on the season, but a semifinal loss meant he had no margin of error remaining -- he had to win the third-place match to break the North Stars' hex.

"I was pretty confident going in (to the sectional)," Justice recalled. "I really thought I was going to be in the finals. I was just wrestling to win (the third-place match)."

Pitted against Wheaton North junior Ryan Early, Justice had the only points of the match: an escape and takedown to win 3-0.

The jinx had been broken.

"It was big stuff for the program," Trizzino said.

"Most of his success has been from his own drive and determination."

Mental toughness is a critical ingredient to success, but physical attributes cannot be discounted.

"(Justice) has all the tools: he has explosive power, he has 5 percent body fat," Trizzino said. "He has length; he has leverage. He has what I consider an ideal build for a championship wrestler."

For first-time participants at the state meet at Assembly Hall, the experience tends to induce stars in the eyes.

But Justice won his opening match, turning back Nick Dominy of Lincoln-Way East with a 9-3 victory.

A second-round loss to eventual state champion Ryan Prater ensued, but Justice was far from finished in his maiden state trip.

Justice clawed his way back through the consolation bracket, ultimately falling in the fifth-place match.

"It was the best moment in my wrestling career," Justice said. "I've broken a lot of records and had a lot of firsts at my school. It's nice when you look back at it."

Justice has moved up two weight classes this year, and he has yet to lose at 145 pounds, where he won his second league title last Saturday at Streamwood.

Proctor was once again his opponent in the title match.

"You have to give credit to people who beat you sometimes," said Neuqua Valley coach Mick Ruettiger, the head coach at St. Charles High School for 15 years before leaving to take the same post at the south Naperville power. "I like the way (Justice) wrestles. His technique is very good and he was great mat awareness."

The road back to Big Ten country starts anew next weekend for Justice and the North Stars with the Class AA South Elgin regional.

There is only task left for Justice to finish out his high school career.

"Every since I started wrestling, I always wanted to be a state champion," he said. "That's my goal, and I think I have a good chance."

With 73 combined victories the last two seasons, it is a distinct possibility.