For many years, Huntley Project wrestling was synonymous with championships. Winning four consecutive state championships in the late 1980s and additional championships in 1991 and 2000, the program found great success.
Following the retirement of long-time coach Laris Roberts, Tim Kaczamerak was hired as the head coach of the Huntley Project High School wrestling team. In the past twelve years, Coach Kaczamerak has worked hard to build relationships and train the athletes in order to rebuild the program. Earlier this month, that hard work paid off as the Huntley Project wrestling team again came home with the runner-up trophy at the state tournament. Additionally, two individual wrestlers were crowned state champions in their weight classes. Sophomores Gavin Needens and Cooper Lane each won in their weight classes, 113 and 120 pounds respectively.
Coach Kaczamerak strives to teach the athletes that “it doesn’t matter if you win or lose; you need to compete in every match. If you lose, you need to put it behind you and go for the next best thing.” Kaczamerak focuses not only on helping each wrestler to find success on the mats but also in the community and in their lives. “It’s not just about wrestling; it’s about being good people. We try to give back to the community who give us so much support.” The wrestling team can be found helping at Homesteader Days, doing yard clean-up in the springtime, and any projects they can participate in.
This past season brought its own set of challenges for the coach and the wrestling team. Due to COVID, they were not allowed to compete in any full tournaments until the divisional tournament. They were allowed to compete in dual meets with one or two other schools, but they were not able to get as many matches in throughout the course of the regular season. Whereas the divisional tournament has typically been divided into four divisions, this year it was split into two, so the team had twice the number of competing teams to wrestle. Coach Kaczamerak expressed that he had been concerned about their conditioning – had they gotten enough experience to carry them through such a grueling tournament. His worry, however, proved to be unfounded as Huntley won the divisional tournament and then went on to take second at the state tournament.
Kaczamerak stated, “I am just thankful we had a season. So much was up in the air this past year, but the kids stepped up, whether in practice or at meets. They gave it their all. And I am so grateful for the community we had behind us. We do really well here – there is a lot of support for student athletes, and it means a lot to us.” Congratulations to Coach Kaczamerak and the Huntley Project High School wrestling team for an outstanding season!
