When a Niles North freshman football coach talked Dylan Ramirez into going out for wrestling three years ago, he agreed to give it a try.
After losing badly in his first two matches that year, Ramirez was ready to quit.
“I didn’t think wrestling was for me,” Ramirez said. “Nobody likes to lose and I didn’t like how it felt. I ended up taking first at our freshman tournament that year. It took a while but I got better.”
Ramirez continued to improve and became Niles North’s varsity heavyweight as a sophomore, reaching the sectional. But it was his junior year on the mat that opened his eyes to how good he could be.
“It was just confidence,” Ramirez said. “Once I started winning a couple matches, and believing I could beat the other kid, I gained confidence and started to wrestle more aggressively.”
Ramirez won the heavyweight title at last year’s Central Suburban League meet, and then earned an overtime win on the third-place mat at the Class 3A Maine East Regional to advance to the sectional meet at Conant.
Ramirez needed to finish in the top four at Conant in order to advance downstate. While the title mats and third-place mats at sectionals in Illinois often feature wrestlers with years of experience in the sport, Ramirez was an exception. He beat Lane’s Jeremiah Olojo in the consolation semifinal match to become a state qualifier.
“I didn’t really think I would make it to state,” Ramirez said. “It was an awesome feeling because I had no idea I could make it that far.”
Ramirez entered the state finals in Champaign with a 29-9 record. The bright lights inside the State Farm Center were a whole new experience for him.
“It was crazy just being in that place. It’s amazing,” Ramirez said. “I had some butterflies. All the heavyweights in 3A kind of knew each other but I was that one guy no one knew.”
Ramirez lost his first match downstate by 11-4 decision to eventual runner-up Bryan Ditchman of Lincoln-Way Central. He lost his next match and was bounced from the tournament, but Ramirez learned from those two losses.
“I learned that I have to take shots and move quicker,” Ramirez said. “If you just keep pummeling, it will be a longer match. You have to take shots and put pressure on the other guy.”
Niles North coach Chris Albandia is happy with the way Ramirez is now using his athleticism against other heavyweights in his senior year.
“As a freshman, he just wanted to go out there and be tough and be brutal,” Albandia said. “He’s still that guy but he has developed his technique. He had that in-your-face, pound-you style and now he’s putting that together with more technique and a better attack.
“Heavyweights don’t expect the things that Dylan can do offensively. It’s an advantage that can get him a long way. We believe he can be on the awards stand in Champaign this year.”
Ramirez improved to 23-3 and placed second at the Kaneland tournament on Jan. 14, and he has placed second in tournaments at Glenbrook South and Prospect this season. He defended his CSL title at this year’s conference meet on Saturday at Maine South.
“Sometimes I’ll be in situations that I haven’t been in and I’ve gotten caught in some of those big matches,” Ramirez said. “I just need to stay out of those situations.
“I expect to get downstate and get up on the (awards) stand. That’s what my coaches and I are planning for. I know it won’t be easy getting there but I’m ready to work for it.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter at Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
