‘Authentic to the heart’: Joliet Central’s Charles Walker is the Herald-News Boys Wrestler of the Year

It has been a relatively short trip to the top of the Illinois wrestling mountain for Joliet Central’s Charles Walker.

In a sport that sees many of its competitors – especially at the highest level – start when they are very young, Walker did not take up wrestling until he started high school.

“My coach [Patrick McGovern] teaches PE, and he saw me in PE class,” Walker said. “He asked me if I would like to come out for wrestling, so I decided to try it.

“I was kind of quiet and kept to myself when I started high school, so this gave me a group of people to fit in with.”

Despite his lack of experience, Walker worked his way into the varsity lineup and went 4-9 during his freshman season. To say that he improved over time is an understatement.

He set a school record for wins this season with 50 and finished his career with a mark of 138-34. He capped his career with a thrilling 7-5 win over previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Kai Calcutt of Loyola Academy for a state championship, avenging one of Walker’s two losses on the season.

For his efforts, Walker has been named the 2025 Herald-News Boys Wrestler of the Year.

“Charles went 138-34 in his career, and that was basically in three years,” McGovern said. “He won his last eight tournaments this season, including all three [regional, sectional, state] in the postseason.

“We here at Joliet Central are proud of him. Perhaps the most important thing is his authenticity. He’s authentic to the heart.”

Walker improved greatly and advanced to state in his sophomore and junior seasons. He did not earn a medal in either appearance, so he had a goal entering this season.

“I had never been on the podium at state,” he said. “I had some tough, close matches that didn’t go my way, so it was kind of a mission this year.

“Once I got there, I was ranked third in the state [by illinoismatmen.com], and my coaches and I knew that I could beat the top two. We decided to take it one match at a time and do the best I could each time I was on the mat."

That plan got Walker to the title match, where he faced Calcutt, who had beaten him earlier in the season.

Calcutt led Walker 4-0 entering the third period, but Walker started in the down position and was able to get an escape and takedown to tie the score. Many wrestlers in the same position would have been happy to ride their opponent to the end of the period and go into overtime.

Walker had a different idea.

He let Calcutt back up, giving his opponent a 5-4 lead with the escape point. The bold move paid off a few seconds later as Walker was able to get another takedown for a 7-5 advantage. This time he rode Calcutt to the end for the title.

“After I took him down the first time, I knew I could do it again,” Walker said about giving his opponent the lead. “It was something I could feel as the match went on.

“When I got the second takedown, it was a real ‘wow’ kind of moment. No one except me and my coaches thought I would win that match.”

Not only did Walker pull off the surprise win, but he also surprised the crowd afterward. He ran to his corner and appeared to be en route to giving McGovern a hug. Instead, he hit his coach with a textbook Rock Bottom takedown, the signature move of professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, before executing a backflip in the middle of the mat.

“Coach told me my sophomore year that if I won the state title, I could Rock Bottom him,” Walker laughed. “We kind of had that planned.”

Walker’s win has brought him attention from more places than he can count. Before the state tournament, he had college offers from Division II and III schools. Since winning the title, he has scheduled visits to Arkansas-Little Rock, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Michigan and Indiana.

“It’s definitely a heck of an opportunity,” Walker said. “I want to major in engineering and physics. I am visiting colleges to see how they fit me. I want to keep my options open.”