2024 Daily Chronicle Boys Wrestler of the Year: DeKalb’s Jacob Luce

There were no IHSA wrestling championships in 2021, Jacob Luce’s freshman year.

They resumed post-pandemic in 2022, but the DeKalb wrestler tore his meniscus and missed the second half of the season.

In 2023, Luce qualified for state and medaled, but ended his season on a loss.

But as a senior, Luce finally cracked the 40-win plateau, became the second Barb to win the massive Cheesehead Invitational in Wisconsin and ended his season on a win, taking fifth in the Class 3A State Finals.

“I felt like I kept battling throughout the year,” Luce said. “I had a system with the coaches and just kept improving. I felt like it was a good year, winning some tournaments.”

For his perseverance and all his accomplishments Luce has been named the Daily Chronicle Boys Wrestler of the Year.

As a freshman, Luce qualified for the IWOCA state finals, which stood in for the IHSA state series because of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. He had high hopes for his sophomore season, but the knee injury at the team’s home Don Flavin Invitational sidelined him throughout the postseason.

Originally diagnosed as a sprain, Luce said there was some frustration at first when he found out he’d be missing the season. But he said getting past it, not dwelling on it and listening to coaches was the key.

“By the time we realized it was a meniscus, it was kind of like, we knew we were going to miss the season, because you have to get the surgery and can’t come back in time,” Luce said. “I didn’t have the finish I wanted, but I came back really hungry and with the desire to wrestle hard and give it everything I got.

“I worked hard with the coaches in the offseason, making sure not to do too much too soon and just plan for the long run.”

But the injury didn’t stop him from growing. He went from 126 pounds as a sophomore to competing at 152 his junior year. He ended up sixth in Class 3A.

He finished 44-4 this season, with two of those losses at the state tournament at 165. He lost his semifinal 7-0 to Glenbard West’s Collin Carrigan, who went on to finish the year 46-1 and as a state champion.

He lost 7-0 in the consolation semifinals to Quincy’s Owen Uppinghouse, who finished the season 56-1 and in third place at state. Luce rolled to an 11-2 win over Joliet Catholic’s Max Corral (33-18) in the final.

“Some matches didn’t go the way we wanted, some of it was because of lingering stuff, injuries, but I thought it was pretty good,” Luce said. “It’s always good to end on a win. I was pretty happy about that. I’d say it was a pretty good tournament overall.”

The regular season was just as strong, including top-three finishes in three big individual tournaments – third at the 37-team Don Gable Donnybrook in Iowa, second at the 25-team at the Rex Whitlatch in Hinsdale and first at the 38-team Cheesehead Invitational in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He was only the second DeKalb wrestler to win the Cheesehead Invitational, joining Blah Dahnweih, who won the tournament in 2019 and is wrestling at UNC.

He also won regional and sectional tournaments and was named the outstanding upper-weight wrestler in the DuPage Valley Conference after winning a conference title.

“He’s always improving,” DeKalb coach Sam Hiatt said. “He doesn’t get too up or too down. He keeps his focus and is always ready to go. He’s excited to keep working for ... some other tournaments this summer. He loves wrestling and is always focused on getting better.”

Luce said he’s still finalizing college plans but has talked with some schools, including NIU. Hiatt said Luce is just getting started, and he’s looking forward to seeing Luce continue his career at the next level.

“He doesn’t back down from anybody,” Hiatt said “[He has a] desire to be great. He’s not the biggest talker, but he’s a leader by example, and he’s working hard, asking coaches questions. He always does the extra thing, wrestling all year long. He added a lot.”