Naperville Central senior Will Erbeck likes being in what he calls “those rough areas.”
There may be no rougher sports than football and wrestling, and Erbeck excels in both. In fact, people who have to face Erbeck in either are definitely in a rough area. He played left guard for the football team last season.
“He gave us an identity offensively just with his physicality, his nastiness and his willingness to finish blocks,” Naperville Central football coach Mike Ulreich said. “He loved burying people, and it became a big part of who we were. Sitting in film and watching Will drive people into the ground was fun.”
As the left guard for the football team, which reached the Class 8A state semifinals, Erbeck’s efforts often opened big holes for senior running back Aiden Clark.
The dominance has continued on the mat. Erbeck (38-3) is a contender for the championship in the 285-pound weight class in Class 3A at the state meet that begins Thursday at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
“Realistically, I want to place, but I feel like I have the capability to win a state championship,” Erbeck said. “I know I’m just as good as all these guys down there.
“It would mean everything. I’ve wanted to do that ever since I was a freshman.”
Erbeck’s father John wrestled at Rich East, but football was Erbeck’s main sport growing up. He played tight end until midway through his junior season.
“We had an injury late in the year, and we slid him over to left guard,” Ulreich said. “(Offensive line) coach (Tony) Colletti had his eye on Will for a long time because of how big and physical he is.”
Switching positions meant giving up individual glory on the football field, but Erbeck didn’t hesitate.
“If guard is where the team needs me, I was down to go,” he said. “I like that football being a team sport, I can do something greater than myself. If I’m not getting noticed but everyone is succeeding, that’s fine with me.”
Erbeck’s play was more than fine.
“He was terrific for us,” Ulreich said. “The coaching staff named him the offensive lineman of the year.”
Erbeck brings similar drive to wrestling. After dabbling in the sport for a couple of years in grade school, he quit and said he “kind of forgot all of it.”
Erbeck gave it another try during his freshman year, and the coaching staff quickly saw they had a seed with the potential to grow into a redwood.
“He was pretty raw, but Chris Nutt, our freshman coach, was the first one to talk about it,” Naperville Central boys wrestling coach Noah Fitzenreider said. “You see the mental toughness right away.
“He just had that edge and a different level of competitiveness. When you see that in freshmen, it’s a pretty good tell that if they stick it out, they’re going to be something special.”
After that season, Fitzenreider offered to work with Erbeck during the offseason.
“I was like, ‘Heck, yeah, let me hop on that ship,’” Erbeck said. “I started wrestling basically all year round. That’s how I got pretty good.”
Erbeck has uncommon athleticism for his weight class. He’s faster than most of his opponents, a trait he credits to his days as a tight end.
“I moved positions, but I feel like I kept that speed and quickness that I had before,” he said. “In wrestling, a lot of these bigger guys are not used to moving so fast, so it really helped me on the wrestling mat as well.”
Ulreich said wrestling helps football players too.
“We love when football players wrestle,” Ulreich said. “It’s the best, just the balance and the type of hand fighting and toughness that goes into being a wrestler.
“It is a tough, demanding sport, and we’ve had a lot of success with wrestlers playing football, and he’s certainly one of them.”
Ulreich and several of Erbeck’s football teammates cheered for him during the Hinsdale Central Sectional on Saturday, when he placed fourth.
“He’s a kid who loves mixing it up,” Ulreich said. “He’s got that nasty little personality when it comes to competition, and it’s fun to watch.”
The state meet could be Erbeck’s final athletic competition. He has offers to wrestle from Division III programs at North Central, Wisconsin-La Crosse and Wabash, but he hasn’t decided whether to wrestle in college or attend a bigger school.
Erbeck has a shot at becoming only the second wrestler in program history to win a state title
“It would be awesome if we broke through and got a state champ,” Fitzenreider said. “It would be wonderful if it was Will because he’s very deserving of it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
