Terrible break for Rolling Meadows’ Kohlberg

This was supposed to be the best of times for Aaron Kohlberg and his family.

“In my household it’s just wrestling, wrestling, wrestling,” the Rolling Meadows senior and one of the state’s top 113-pounders said Tuesday night.

Kohlberg’s dad Eric wrestled at Wheeling and runs the Arlington Cardinals youth program. His brother James took third in the state in 2005 at 125 pounds for Meadows and returned this year as an assistant coach. Eric Kohlberg’s brother Neil finished third and second in the state for Wheeling in 1986 and 1987.

And Aaron Kohlberg appeared to be on his way to Champaign success with a 36-2 record and a renewed sense of purpose since an upset loss in the semifinals of the Mid-Suburban League tournament. He bounced back to win a regional title last weekend and was ready to roll at this weekend’s Glenbard North sectional.

“He’s been working hard all season,” James Kohlberg said Wednesday afternoon, “but the past week-and-a-half to two weeks is probably the best he’s wrestled all year.”

A few hours later on Wednesday, Aaron Kohlberg suffered one of the worst breaks imaginable. According to Meadows head coach Dave Froehlich, Kohlberg landed at an abnormal angle during practice and suffered a significant fracture in his hand.

Kohlberg had a cast put on his hand and Froehlich said in an email “the doctor was very clear in his diagnosis and insisisted the risk of trying to wrestle posed some serious questions with the use of his hand in the future.”

What a shame considering all indications pointed toward Kohlberg achieving his dream of stepping up on the podium and having a state medal placed around his neck next weekend at Assembly Hall. Other than the two blemishes on his record it had been a dream season made even more memorable by his older brother’s involvement.

“A big push for me was my brother coming in the room,” Aaron said of James, who wrestled for four years at Northwestern. “It helped out a lot more that somebody was focused on what I needed to get done.

“I know if I can get some of my best stuff on him, I can get stuff on anybody.”

James described Aaron as a late bloomer who weighed only 80 pounds as a freshman and 90 pounds as a sophomore. Last year, Aaron went 35-5 at 103 but lost his only match in Champaign 5-0.

That was the wakeup call he needed.

“I regret now that if I had worked that much harder I could have placed,” said Kohlberg, who had attended the state tournament with his dad since he was 10. “I didn’t want to be wishing I could have done this or wishing I could have done that.”

So Kohlberg went out and did more than he ever had — not only in his work in the off-season but during the season. James said Aaron finally understood the dedication he needed to show by putting in the time above and beyond the regularly scheduled practices.

“I always told Aaron this my whole life,” said James, who competed at the state tourney three times. “He always had a lot more talent than I had but the difference was I had the will to work and the will to win.

“This year he showed he can overcome a lot of obstacles and adversity and this year he realized he can be the best guy if he dedicated himself in the season.

“He always competed in the offseason but it was more committing himself to the season and the extra workouts and pushing himself.”

It changed Aaron’s goal from just placing downstate to making his place in Meadows’ history as the school’s first state wrestling champion. The highest placewinner was Matt Hayes taking second at 112 pounds in 1991.

“It really didn’t occur to me until the end of last year when I realized I could be (the first),” said Aaron, who has a 4.5 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale, scored 24 on the ACT and wants to major in biology in college. “I would always talk about it but I never realized how hard it would be.

“It wouldn’t take me talking. It would take me working.”

But there are times things don’t work out the way they should. If they did, Aaron Kohlberg would be working on another trip to wrestle in Champaign.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com