Boys wrestling: St. Charles East senior Ben Davino is the Kane County Chronicle Wrestler of the Year

Three weeks after becoming a four-time state wrestling champion, St. Charles East’s Ben Davino was back seeking another title.

But he wasn’t in Istanbul, Turkey, or any other exotic location of his past meets.

He was smack dab on the main floor at the BMO Center in downtown Rockford.

This state trip was different for Davino. His vantage point was from the corner of the mat coaching a local youth wrestler in the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state tournament.

Davino, the 2023-24 Kane County Chronicle Boys Wrestler of the Year, is heavily involved in coaching youth wrestlers in the St. Charles East program. His on-the-mat legacy is just part of his popularity and involvement in the sport.

“I started IKWF state three years ago and been coaching for five or six years,” Davino said. “I love being able to give back to younger kids and help the next generation of wrestlers. They are the future of Illinois wrestling. I love coaching. It’s super fun, just being able to give my knowledge to younger wrestlers and helping them grow – and to see that growth is special to me. I’m not going to stop coaching. I just put it in between my schedule.”

Davino, an Ohio State recruit, could have been watching the Buckeyes compete in the Big Ten Conference wrestling championships. But St. Charles East coach Jason Potter said Davino always has been involved with helping local kids. That’s just part of his routine, Potter said.

“He always gives back,” Potter said. “He does privates and coaches club on the weekends. He’s not in it for himself. He really cares about his impact. That’s the kind of person he is. He shows kids his love for the sport. He wanted to be a role model and a leader. It wasn’t a shock to me during his sophomore year when he asked to help out with a youth club. It was contagious. The other kids on the team started showing up.”

Davino said coaching young kids showed him a different side of wrestling that helped his career flourish on the back end.

“You have to talk through stuff, especially technique,” Davino said. “When you are talking to 12 or 13 year olds, you have to get a feel for them before a match and help them through the match. It’s kind of moreso keeping kids calm. I know how stressful wrestling can be and how much pressure comes with wrestling, so I try and keep them calm and keep them wrestling good, flowing and having fun.”

Davino, the No. 1 wrestler in the country in his weight class, made history by winning his fourth state championship Feb. 17, defeating Rockton Hononegah’s Thomas Silva in the Class 3A 132-pound final. Davino (50-0) pulled off a dominating 20-5 victory by technical fall, capping a historic individual season by not having one match last beyond the middle of the second period.

“I’ve always had confidence in my ability to win a match,” Davino said. “It wasn’t until recently that I took a step back and looked at everything I’ve done in my high school career. I was pretty successful. That’s pretty cool.”

For his career, Davino made an indelible mark in the history book, finishing with an awe-inspiring 181-1 career record, including a 136-match winning streak. Six days after winning his fourth 132-pound state championship, he helped guide the Saints to a third-place team finish.

“I knew I could become a four-time state champion four years ago,” Davino said. “The other stuff, like Ironman and Cheesehead [invitationals], that was stuff that came along with it. I worked hard with the goal of becoming a four-time state champion.”

Potter said Davino has all the traits of a team leader. Davino never let the spotlight affect his attitude or wrestling, despite being featured by a Chicago-area TV station.

“I’ve never seen it or been a part of it and I was a wrestler and now a coach,” Potter said of the media attention for Davino this season. “I’ve always been a fan of the sport, but I’ve not seen a young man with as big as an impact on the sport that he has. The [attention] was amazing for wrestling, especially for our club and our team. Wrestling is kind of a niche sport. Everybody knows everyone, but diehard wrestling fans saw our program building and getting better.

“I talked to people I haven’t in years after the TV [segment] on Ben came out. There’s no doubt he had a lasting impact. People moved here to train with him. They want to be a part of the success we’ve had the last couple of years. It sets us up to have success moving forward. He’s going to go down as one of the best, if not the best, wrestlers to ever come out of Illinois.”

Davino said he’s “stoked” to start his college career next fall and extend his career in a sport that he started on a whim when he was 8 years old.

Davino played football and even tried gymnastics for about half a year before taking a chance on wrestling.

“My dad said I should try wrestling out,” Davino said. “I said ‘No’ at first. I wasn’t sure if he convinced me or not, but one morning I woke up and I wanted to wrestle. My dad said he would get a refund if I sucked. My dad didn’t need to get a refund.”