Grayslake Central senior William Lyle didn’t like the ending being written for him.
After Lyle suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in June, he was given a timetable for his recovery that seemingly meant he would miss his final wrestling season.
“When I tore my ACL, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to wrestle. The normal time frame is six to nine months for recovery. I was told I wouldn’t be able to start wrestling until the start of track season.
“There was so much uncertainty. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. But I knew surgery was the best option.”
So Lyle had surgery in mid-July and rewrote the script.
“I kind of knew I could come back sooner than that,” he said. “I had a sneaky feeling. I kept lifting upper body and doing rehab. I was doing stuff way ahead of schedule, trying to speed up the process to come back. I was able to affect the healing process a lot more than I thought.”
As a result, Lyle’s story will continue at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Barely a month after making his season debut in a dual meet against Antioch on Jan. 7, Lyle won the third-place match in the 175-pound weight class at the Class 2A Antioch Sectional on Saturday to qualify for the state meet, which begins Thursday.
“His work ethic in the weight room helped him,” Grayslake Central coach Matt Joseph said. “The kid is an absolute monster in the weight room, which speaks about his ability to come back so fast. I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone come back from an ACL tear as quick as him.
“I thought it would be a big fight for him to get back. But he kept grinding through it and wanted to come back earlier than everyone thought.”
Lyle (17-6) said one of his favorites moments at the sectional was watching his close friend and classmate Krish Sahu win the third-place match at 126. They are among a program-record six state qualifiers, including sectional champions Dominic DeMarco, a freshman at 106, and Vincent DeMarco, a junior at 113.
Sahu said he was inspired by Lyle.
“Coming off an ACL tear in July is absolutely mind-blowing, but for Will, it kind of makes sense,” Sahu said. “He is the hardest worker I know. He is in the gym for almost four hours a day at least five days a week. He lives the lifestyle of a champion. He eats cleaner than anyone I know.
“He does the little things right, and that’s why he has found success despite the setbacks that he has had.”
Grayslake Central senior Warren Nash, who won the third-place match at 157 to qualify for state, understands the challenge Lyle faced.
“I had to battle the same ACL journey last year,” Nash said. “Will worked long and hard through physical therapy and training in and out of the room. … He never skips a rep, no matter how tired.”
Now Lyle is plotting a much different ending.
“I feel really good,” he said. “I’m wrestling pretty well, and the knee is feeling good. I knew I could get a shot at state if I came back healthy. My conditioning is really good. I learned you can do really big things if you set your mind to it.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
