Fenwick junior wrestler Chris Hawthorne admits he misses trips to White Castle and Portillo’s, but knows it’s for the best. “I had to cut 30 pounds,” Hawthorne said. “I did it in two, two-and-a-half weeks. It was pretty hard, but I’m happy I did it. I put on a lot of fat for football, so I just started staying after practice to work extra and I started eating better.” The Oak Park resident, who hopes to play football in college, began the wrestling season competing in the heavyweight division as a 250-pounder, but dropped enough weight to move down to the 220 division. The move has suited him well. Hawthorne reached the finals of the Chicago Catholic League Championships Saturday as a No. 3 seed and placed second. Fenwick coach Chris Ruffino told Hawthorne that dropping weight was a matter of survival in a talented-packed conference. “Wrestling our schedule, there are a lot of big heavyweights at Providence, Mount Carmel and St. Rita,” Ruffino said. “It’s tough to win if you’re not 270. He had a tough time starting the year until he got the weight off. He’s been wrestling well. Getting seeded and making the finals in the CCL is pretty impressive, especially for a junior football player in just his third year of wrestling. He had no experience before high school, but he knows wrestling will help him a lot in football.” Hawthorne avenged a previous loss en route to the final before falling to Mount Carmel’s Aaron Davis in the championship match. “It was an honor to do well in such a tough conference,” Hawthorne said. “I’m happy I was able to get to the finals.” Fenwick’s other place-winner Saturday was Mike Kozyra, who also finished runner-up at 170. “I didn’t know he made it up until the lineup for the first- and second-place matches,” Kozyra said. “It was shocking. It was a big deal for our team. He works hard; he’s a big guy and lifts hard. He’s been improving ever since freshman year.” Hawthorne has benefited from the tutelage of Fenwick heavyweight coach and 2002 grad Dave Herrera. “He’s really been able to mold Chris into a pretty good wrestler,” Ruffino said. “He’s taken him under his wings and Chris is really paying attention to him and progressing well. He really wants to play Division I football and college scouts love football/wrestlers, so Chris is taking wrestling seriously.” Hawthorne credits Herrera as well. “He has a lot of experience and knows what he’s doing,” Hawthorne said. “He knows what is best for me and he’s always been there with me, telling me to push myself and work on the little things. He’s the main reason I’ve gotten better.” Hawthorne, who has his sights set on a state berth, will always consider football his main sport but enjoys wrestling as well. “I’ve had good coaches and wrestling partners,” said the defensive lineman. “I put in the hard work to do the extra things right. Football is my love. A big reason I wrestle is to help with football. Wrestling helps me work on my balance and learning how to use my body.” - See more at: http://www.highschoolcubenews.com/news_article/show/343825?referrer_id=694563#sthash.UqLcDBBP.dpuf
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