Lukowski truly one of area's best ever

Not only is Dundee-Crown senior Mike Lukowski a tremendous wrestler, he's also a clairvoyant.

"The first time we found out we were going to Naperville North (regarded by many as the toughest wrestling sectional in the state this year), he said, 'If I get out of the sectional, I will win state,' " recalled Dundee-Crown hall of fame coach Al Zinke.

He wasn't kidding.

Lukowski went a perfect 5-0 last weekend to win the Class AA 189-pound state championship, putting the finishing touches on another in a long and continuous line of distinguished Dundee-Crown wrestling careers.

And for a second straight year Lukowski has been named the honorary captain of the 2007-08 Daily Herald All-Area wrestling team. Lukowski is the third straight Dundee-Crown grappler to win the award since its inception in 2006 (Zach Hayes won the inaugural award).

"I didn't wrestle well at the regionals," said Lukowski of his second-place showing at South Elgin. "It was disappointing. I went over to Gus (D-C assistant Silva) and said, 'It doesn't matter. I'm going to win a state championship.' After sectionals, I said to Gus, 'Now I'm going to win state.' "

Prior to embarking on the trip to Champaign, Lukowski snapped a photo of 1985 state champion Larry Kaifesh's plaque that hangs in the Dundee-Crown wrestling room. He then made yet another prognostication.

"I took a picture of it on my phone and said, 'Z' (Zinke) I'm going to get one of these,' " said Lukowski, whose brother George also wrestled at D-C. "I looked at it the whole ride down there."

But before he ran the table in Champaign, Lukowski endured that hellacious Naperville North sectional.

"The first, third and fifth-place state finishers came out of our sectional," said Zinke. "The fifth-place guy was a sectional champion. Mike does not get discouraged. He lost in the regional and did not get discouraged. He was in the toughest sectional in the state and did not get discouraged."

Lukowski is D-C's second state wrestling champion --joining Iraq war veteran Kaifesh -- and the eighth area state wrestling champion. He's also the sixth area wrestler to earn two or more top 5 state medals, joining a list that includes Elgin's Jeff Mirabella (3 state titles, 1 fourth-place finish), St. Edward's Mike Bondi (2 state titles), Mike Sheehy (1 state title, 1 runner-up finish) and Pat Sheehy (1 state title, 1 runner-up finish), along with the Prairie Ridge duo of Kevin Grece and Joe Trinka who each had a state runner-up and a fourth-place finish to their credits.

"He's one of the top five kids I've coached in terms of toughness, without a doubt," said Zinke, who mentioned former D-C standouts like Jim Wormsley (second in state in 1987), Steve Bushy (fourth in 1986) and Cliff McCue (fourth in 1997) in that same toughness vein.

"Mike's hard-nosed. He's tough -- plain and simple. He's relentless."

While Lukowski had 5 losses this season, he said each time his opponent's hand was raised, it only made him better.

"I had five losses to good kids and that helped me in the end," said Lukowski. "Every time I lost, I worked and I worked on it and took that to perfection at state. I didn't have an easy ride this year. I won 5 matches at state against good kids. Nobody is a chump there. Everyone is wrestling there like it's a state championship match."

"Mike took every challenge there was," said Zinke. "He stayed up a weight to wrestle (Ben) Apland (215-pound state champion from Downers Grove South) and Rands (Cary-Grove 215-pounder who took fourth in the state). Anytime he could find a challenge at 215 or 189, he took it. It was the best thing for him. He took challenges early in the year. Mike prepared himself for the state tournament."

Lukowski, 81-9 over the last 2 years (42-5 this year), again heard whispers this year about his physical style, leading to claims of him stalling in matches.

"People always say, 'He doesn't do anything. He pushes and he stalls,' " said Lukowski, who lauded the efforts of D-C assistant coach Silva and D-C all-time wins leader David Silva for their tutelage over the past few years.

"I'm a heavyweight in a little '89-pounder's body. I'm trying to pound on guys. That's my style. I'll take shots when needed. I didn't need to at state. I made people wrestle my style. I wrestle like everybody. I have speed and I have the heavyweight style where I'm pushing and snapping down. I have the '89 style with power and strength. I have a little bit of everything.

"It probably irritates them," Lukowski continued. "They try to go out there and it gets left up to the ref. It makes them mad they can't score. I've trained myself like that my whole life. I haven't changed anything. I'm not changing because people say I'm stalling. If I'm winning I'm going to keep doing it and keep pushing kids. Stalling is when there is no action and you aren't trying to work. I'm always trying to push kids and constantly pushing kids until they break. I'm always moving in matches and trying to break down the kids I'm wrestling."

Zinke said the scuttlebutt about Lukowski's style is unfounded.

"His style isn't real pretty, but that's his size," said Zinke. "He has a totally different style than we teach. But that's Mike. He's a big bulldog out there. He drives in and pushes in. When guys try to go to the knees, he attacks. I would venture to say his opponents had a combined 40 stalls called against them compared to his 2 or 3 this year. We know he's not stalling. Mike likes to control his opponent's head. He grinds his opponents out and grinds them down and capitalizes on mistakes."

Lukowski, who is contemplating a possible wrestling future in college, feels his time in the wrestling room at D-C greatly shaped who he has become.

"I worked real hard," said Lukowski, a 3-year varsity football performer for D-C. "I was always yelling at Zinke, 'How many more sprints?' Now I realize those 40 sprints a day pays off in the end. If you work hard and are determined, you can achieve goals. I think I was built into a state champion in the Dundee-Crown wrestling room."

So where would Lukowski place himself in terms of D-C wrestling lore? Kaifesh's lone state championship plaque will now have some company in the D-C room.

"I'm not going to say," said Lukowski, who won Fox Valley Conference titles in each of the last 2 years. "I'm leaving that up to families and teachers and coaches and wrestlers. I'm not going to be cocky and say I'm the best. We've had a lot of good kids here at Dundee-Crown with (David) Silva and Kaifesh. Ryan Horcher just placed at state. I'm a state champ, but I'm not saying I'm one of the greats."

Lukowski is, indeed, one of the D-C all-time greats -- and one of the area's best ever.

He's got a state championship to prove it.

Elite Company

A look at the Fox Valley-area state individual wrestling champions

Mike Bondi (St. Edward) 1993, 1996; Larry Kaifesh (Dundee-Crown) 1985; Jeff Mirabella (Elgin) 1988, 1989, 1990; Mike Lukowski (Dundee-Crown) 2008; Brian Rose (Larkin) 1990; Dave Russell (Elgin) 1961; Mike Sheehy (St. Edward) 1987; Pat Sheehy (St. Edward) 1985