'Daddy gives him strength'

Cody Smith jutted his finger in the air, as if to say, "That's for you, Dad."

Then, as soon as the referee raised Smith's hand in triumph, his Wauconda wrestling teammates sprinted to him. They mobbed him as if the junior were a rock star.

Certainly he was a rock Saturday on a day when the Bulldogs, thanks to the heavyweight's thrilling win in the finals, helped earn them their first regional championship in school history.

Moments later, after Smith received his regional championship plaque, his teammates jumped on their big guy again. Some of Smith's smaller teammates looked like they were trying to scale a building.

"It's like you're a big jungle gym, Cody," said a jolly gentleman, smiling.

A poised Cody Smith just soaked it all in, somehow managing to hold back tears when so many in Wauconda's gym wanted to cry tears of joy for him.

"Daddy gives him the strength," a teary-eyed Patty Smith said with a smile wider than her son's shoulders.

Last Dec. 17, Cody's dad, William, was shoveling snow. He suddenly wasn't feeling right.

"I was on my way home and I called him and he said, 'Come home,' " Patty Smith said. "I was like, 'OK. I got to run in and get a loaf of bread.' When I was in the store, he said, 'COME HOME.' By the time I got home he was on the couch. I had to call the paramedics."

William Smith was rushed to the hospital but died that day - eight days before Christmas. He was 56.

"Never sick a day in his life," Patty Smith said of her husband.

"It's been very hard, but I tell you, we have such a great community. They all came to the funeral."

While Cody Smith was locked in a 0-0 battle with Vernon Hills' Jeremy Brazil in their 285-pound title bout Saturday, that community support came knocking again. Wauconda fans started chanting, "Co-dy, Co-dy."

The two wrestlers went into the third period with still no score. Brazil chose down. It was the final match of the Class 2A individual regional and all eyes were on the championship mat.

"I was riding him out," Smith said, "and I put the legs in, which heavyweights don't normally do, but it's something I've been practicing on."

Smith cranked Brazil over, got back points and wound up pulling out a 5-2 win.

"Pretty powerful," said Wauconda coach Tom Nance, whose Bulldogs finished with 234 points, 14 more than runner-up Vernon Hills. "For the tournament to come down on him in his situation, it was rather poignant."

While his coach and teammates couldn't have been happier for Smith, the heavyweight with the heavy heart was equally proud of the guys he sweats with everyday.

Wauconda, which features mainly juniors in its lineup, advanced 12 wrestlers to the sectional. Joining Smith at Fenton on Friday will be fellow regional champs Tim Alvarado (125 pounds), Jeff Costa (130), Peter Kootstra (135), Colin Murphy (145), Scott Carlson (152), Tyler Glover (160) and Shawn Sundquist, as well as Aaron Swearingen (103), Mike Brown (119), Tom Tyrrell (140) and James Roy (171).

Based on the Bulldogs' best-ever 17-4 record, their success wasn't surprising.

"We have such a good team," Smith said. "We've just become such a good family this year."

The unexpected death of their teammate's father has made the Bulldogs stronger, no doubt. Following a December snowstorm, days after William Smith's passing, Wauconda wrestlers went out and shoveled snow to earn money for the Smith family. Teachers raised dollars, too, and a generous parent matched the teachers' donation.

Patti Smith is overwhelmed by the generosity and support. She's found comfort, too, in knowing that her husband, who was an organ donor, has helped others.

"Fifteen people are going to survive from my husband," she said.

When asked what he was thinking about when he stood on the mat as a regional champ, Cody Smith finally broke down, albeit only slightly.

"Just that it was for him," he said. "I know he'd be proud.

His mom stood next to him, beaming.

"And he's not only a good wrestler," she said. "He's High Honors."

Nance holds his wrestler in high esteem, too.

"What an amazingly sincere, levelheaded, focused kid," he said. "(The regional title) could not have happened to a better kid. We were very glad that he was able to enjoy this moment.

"I'm very proud of this team."

So is the Wauconda community. And William Smith's family.