Top 'Cat: Wilmington's Van Duyne set bar high

Wilmington's John Van Duyne, the Herald News wrestler of the year, poses with all his awards.
(John Patsch/Herald News)

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Whether the situation calls for rough-and-tumble action or a twinkle of boyish charm, John Van Duyne stands ready to deliver the goods in a moment's notice.

He is dressed in a dry-fit University of Michigan wrestling shirt, leaning comfortably against the back wall in the trainer's room for a Q&A at Wilmington High School. He is grinning from ear-to-ear as he delivers a telling answer to a question that teeters on the brink of a philosophic journey into deep, abstract thought.

What more could you ask from your high school wrestling experience?

You can tell what he is thinking: "How high does the bar go?"

"I guess the only thing I could ask for is three more state championships," Van Duyne replies in his own tongue-in-cheek style. "But, no, that would have been too good. I think I kind of had to go through some of that stuff earlier in my career to get to where I am now -- some of that losing.

"And I guess that makes it seem all the more worthwhile when you actually get there."

For Van Duyne, "there" is the word that confirms his ascension to the throne of Top 'Cat.

In four years as a varsity wrestling regular at Wilmington, he won eight state medals and appeared in seven state finals. He won two individual state championships and helped the Wildcats capture three straight dual-team state titles. His record -- 170-10 -- makes him the winningest wrestler in the history of a program that over the years has churned out mat standouts like the Wisconsin dairy farmer whose job it is to make butter.

His name now goes up on the wall above those of Brett Lockwood, Stormy Tidmore, Josh Peters and the Vercelli brothers (Tony and Vince), et. al.

Van Duyne is the first individual to earn all-state recognition for four years running in a single sport in the history of Wilmington High School. He is the first to win two state wrestling championships. And he recognized today as the first small-school recipient of The Herald News' annual Wrestler of the Year Award.

He has a personality that rivals his skill on the mat.

"He's a great kid," Wilmington coach Rob Murphy said. "And that is what's important. He's a good student. He's a good leader. And he works as hard as anybody we've ever had. And you can see the results. He did a great job in football. He did a great job in wrestling. We're going to miss him."

Van Duyne scored a takedown in the opening seconds of his 2-0 victory over Gibson City's Guy Kirby in the 135-pound title match at the 1A state tournament in Champaign. The title was his second straight. He finished first at 125 in the Class A state tournament in 2007-08. He was second at 112 in 2006-07 and third at 103 in 2005-06.

Then, at the dual-team state tournament in Bloomington, Van Duyne won 2-of-3 matches by fall and capped a 43-1 season. His 8-2 decision over Dan Monical helped the Wildcats overpower LeRoy 48-9.

The victories for Van Duyne have come as much as the result of a bit funk mixed in with a knowledge of technique. "I can do some stuff that other guys wouldn't think to do in certain situations," he said.

He always has been gifted in that way. In fact, he has been something of a phenom on the playing fields ever since he was a tiny tot.

"I was playing soccer when I was 5 years old," he said. "I was a great soccer player when I was younger. But I kind of moved on from soccer -- I don't want to offend anybody -- but I got into the real sports. I started playing football. I played baseball and then I picked up wrestling in third grade. I was just kind of a natural at all of those.

"And, with practice, the wrestling grew on me."

He plans to continue wrestling in college. He is looking at Purdue and Illinois -- among others -- because both boast widely acclaimed engineering programs. He has a big-time academic record, too.

Van Duyne ranks 12th out of 115 students in his class at Wilmington. If he goes into the Big Ten, he will go armed with the idea he can compete with the Big Boys on the mat. He pinned Shepard's Mike Grice in a tournament at Princeton. Grice later went on to place sixth in the 3A state tournament.

Van Duyne also beat Plainfield Central's Kyle Schomer and Mahomet-Seymour's Jared Ernst. Schomer was one of the top-rated individuals in 3A before an injury cut short his season. Ernst put together a 38-4 record and qualified for the individual state tournament. At one time, he was ranked No. 1 in 2A.

"That would be awesome," Van Duyne said of wrestling in the Big Ten. "It's kind of what I've wanted since I was a freshman, just to be a part of that. I know there are a lot of people who would doubt and say, no, a Class A wrestler trying to wrestle at a Big Ten school. But I believe in myself, and I believe if I work as hard as I did here -- and even harder -- that one day I could be that guy."

He was the guy who bucked the odds for Wilmington last fall during the football season. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards and led the Wildcats (11-1) to the third round of the 3A playoffs. He also played corner back and gained a reputation for his sure tackling.

"I'd be out there on the football field and it was a double-leg takedown that I'd use to put on guys for tackles," Van Duyne said. "And I think that football gave me the toughness for wrestling. I'm not afraid to take hits. It was good that I played both sports throughout high school."

He will miss his friends, his teammates and his coaches. His legacy oozes in the color of a Purple Reign.

"It means a lot coming from Wilmington," Van Duyne said of being recognized as the Wildcats' most decorated wrestler. "Just because there have been so many great athletes. The Vercellis. Banning. Damien Anderson. So many football players. And, just the fact that football players and wrestlers share a common bond that I'm proud to be a part of. I'll get to go up on the all-state wall. It's really an honor."

Murphy knew Van Duyne was going to be a good one back when he still was a junior high student and fledgling wrestler. He broke his arm and missed most of his eighth-grade wrestling season. He did not throw in the towel.

"His parents were all worried," Murphy said. "It was like, 'We'll just see what he does at regionals. He doesn't have any practices under his belt.' I said, 'Well, the way you've got to look at it is regionals are a qualifier. He's going to have a week and a half practice, then once he places in the top three, he's going to get another week of practice and he'll go to the sectionals.'

" 'And remember, the sectionals are just a qualifier. If he places in the top three, then he's got another week. Pretty soon, he's got a month under his belt. And, if you get to state, you never know what's going to happen.' Well, he went with that week and half or two-week thing and took second in regionals. He met the same kid in the finals at sectionals and beat him.

"Then, he went on and finished third in the state. He got caught in a headlock in the semis. It was one move. But I think that focus he adopted just sums up the type of individual that is -- with the adversity of facing a broken arm and having no practice. And, as an eighth-grader, he listened to me. He figured it out."