IC Catholic senior Michael Calcagno was born to wrestle.
His father, Dr. Michael Calcagno, an IC Catholic graduate who played football at College of DuPage and Bowling Green, enjoys the 1985 movie “Vision Quest,” which stars Matthew Modine as a high school wrestler named Louden Swain. So he named his son Michael Lowden Calcagno, with a slight twist in the spelling.
“I thought it was a cool show,” Dr. Michael Calcagno said.
Michael Calcagno then started wrestling when he was 4 years old.
“My dad threw me into it,” he said. “He thought it would help me for football.”
Calcagno did play football. But his No. 1 sport is wrestling. On Feb. 17, he won his second state title when he pinned Rochelle’s Kaiden Morris in the Class 2A championship match in the 215-pound weight class at the state meet at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
“I just think it’s really cool and love how it worked out,” Calcagno said, referring to his name and his success. “This year I knew going in that no one could beat me. It felt awesome. I was thinking that I did it, I got my goal for the year.
“One of my coaches said Christmas comes in February for wrestlers. That’s what I was thinking the whole time. It was Christmas for me.”
Joining the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Calcagno (51-4) as state champions were IC Catholic teammate Deven Casey at 120 in 2A, Maine South’s Teddy Flores at 120 in 3A and Loyola’s Kai Calcutt at 215 in 3A.
Calcagno won his first state title during his sophomore year, prevailing at 182 in 1A. That convinced him that he had a future in the sport.
“My No. 1 thought was the possibility to go to college for that and do something good with that,” he recalled. “That was the main turning point. It motivated me a lot because I worked harder at everything.”
As a junior, Calcagno started at linebacker for IC Catholic’s football team during its run to the Class 3A state championship. But he had to wait much longer than he hoped for his next opportunity to win a state title in wrestling. Not long after football season ended, he tore the ACL in his right knee during a meet.
Calcagno said doubt crept into his mind for the first time in his life as an athlete.
“I was out for six months,” he said. “I was kind of nervous. I had to get back. I also wanted to do one last season of football. I knew I was going to wrestle.
“After the surgery, I had never been in that amount of pain. It was horrible. It was some of the worst times of my life. I would lay on the couch and be there stuck, aching in pain. There was nothing I could do to get rid of it.”
But Calcagno could rely on his father, who is the clinic director and co-owner of Olympia Chiropractic & Physical Therapy in Elmhurst.
“Michael had his surgery two days before Christmas,” Dr. Calcagno said. “There were times you let him be. But I told him he’s built for this. He’s mentally different. He was very diligent and focused and wanted to get back for his senior year of football.
“He rehabbed at our place. We’ve seen his injury, been around it and done this dance. He had an entire team there and got some great physical therapy and specialized care. He had a team invested in him.”
Calcagno returned in time to play football for the Knights, who lost to St. Laurence in the Class 4A quarterfinals in November, and then gradually built his confidence back on the mat. His breakout performance came at the Walsh Ironman on Dec. 9. With many of the top wrestlers in the country competing, he finished seventh at 215.
By the end of the season, Calcagno was ready for his post-Christmas present.
“He was probably not fully healthy until halfway through the season,” IC Catholic wrestling coach Danny Alcocer said. “It’s extremely difficult for a two-sport athlete to transition from one sport to another, but wrestling is also a different story.
“I think Ironman is when he had a coming-out party. He beat a lot of tough opponents. That let the rest of country know how good he was.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
