Lyons proving he's a true leader

Rust never sleeps, and apparently neither does Mike Lyons.

Lyons is senior class president at Waubonsie Valley, captain of the Warriors' wrestling team, part of the Youth Ambassadors Program, and vice president for the last three years of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) at Waubonsie.

On Saturday, at the Upstate Eight Conference tournament held at South Elgin, Lyons added the Ed Washington Sportsmanship Award to his resume.

"He cares a lot about other people, and he wants the best for the people around him," said Waubonsie Valley coach Brad Caldwell. "He's the epitome of what that award is supposed to be.

"He's a great student, he's involved in a lot of school activities and outside activities aimed to help people that need it - he's got the whole package."

Ed Washington was the long-time wrestling coach at Larkin and a former standout football player at the University of Illinois.

"What do I remember about Ed?" said Neuqua Valley coach Mick Ruettiger. "He was a big guy, he had a lot of intensity but with graciousness. He was a class act."

Lyons has been involved in events that include the Battle of the Bands, the Powder Puff Bowl, and Waubonsie Valley's Pride Day.

"I obviously don't do any of that stuff for an award. I do it for myself, and good things tend to follow," Lyons said. "But it's definitely a nice accomplishment, and I was proud to get it."

What is Lyons' motivation towards getting involved in the various activities he has chosen?

"You're doing your time in high school no matter what, so you might as well be doing something useful," he said.

DeSario flying under the radar: Lake Park senior Mike DeSario is a two-time state qualifier, a three-time Upstate Eight Conference tournament champion, and he earned the Jeff Mirabella Award as the tournament's outstanding wrestler on Saturday.

You could easily make an argument that for a guy with a 25-0 record at 119 pounds this year, DeSario isn't getting a whole lot of respect in the rankings.

"I'm sure he'd like to see himself ranked third or fourth, instead of wherever he's at," said Lake Park coach Todd Raymond. "But I really don't think he cares all that much."

"I'd rather keep it that way, to tell you the truth," DeSario said. "As long as I believe I can beat those guys, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter what's on paper. It just matters what happens downstate this year."

DeSario topped St. Charles East's Alex Maynard for the UEC title at 119 this year, after beating Neuqua Valley's Andy Spangler on a conference tournament title mat the past two seasons.

The Lancers' senior will continue to ignore the rankings and just keep preparing for the Class 3A regionals, which start in two weeks.

"I just want to keep improving my technique, pretty much," DeSario said. "I'll stick with the moves I've got, and work off of that."

Where does DeSario believe he needs work on the mat?

"Everywhere," he said. "I just want to keep getting better."

Millette and Congenie leading Willowbrook: With a young coaching staff in place under head coach Bryan Murphy and a feeder system beginning to bear fruit, Willowbrook could be sitting pretty in a few short seasons.

"Our program has changed a lot," said Willowbrook senior Grant Millette. "We're putting in a lot of extra time, and we've got a lot of new coaches. They're always wrestling with us, and they just want us to get better."

"They're tough on us, and a lot of young kids are coming up and getting that energy going," said Warriors freshman Steve Congenie. "At the beginning of the year we were losing a lot, but then a lot of guys started coming back and beating guys that they'd just get killed by earlier in the year."

Millette (171) and Congenie (140) have been rock-solid all year. Millette improved to 31-3 with a win on Friday at Hinsdale South, where Congenie won his 30th match of the year.

Millette wrestled at 145 last year but hit a growth spurt, and has acclimated well to the bigger boys at 171 pounds.

"I had to get used to their strength, definitely," Millette said. "And I just try to work harder than the other guy, and use my technique."

Congenie is about as athletic and fun to watch as any wrestler - let alone freshman - you're likely to see. He won an IKWF state title as an eighth-grader last year, and his acclimation to high school varsity wrestling has focused on one particular obstacle.

"Wrestling seniors," Congenie said. "That was hard to get used to at first, because they're so much older. I've tried to use my technique, more than strength, because in the long run that's what will win for me."