Loyola Academy’s Drew Johnson (top) takes control of Andrew Moy in the 106-pound third-place match at Glenbrook South Regional. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Drew Johnson spends a lot of time up in Eagle River, Wisconsin. But you won’t catch him standing around with a fishing pole.
The Loyola Academy wrestler has no time for fish.
“I’m impatient with fish,” he confesses.
Johnson, instead, likes to do things in swift fashion. He’s into water skiing. Wakeboarding.
The same goes for his wrestling. The Ramblers senior likes to work fast. Pinning the opposition is the quickest way to get off the mat.
“I work to get matches over,” he says. “You don’t want your opponents to hang around, especially when you know you can win.”
Johnson has three cases in point from the weekend.
At the Class 3A Glenbrook South Regional on Feb. 6, the LA 106-pounder opened the tourney by pinning GBS’s Fernando Castrejon in 3 minutes, 37 seconds.
Then, after sustaining a 5-3 loss in the semifinal round, Johnson put Glenbrook North’s Casey Mutchnik on his back in 2 minutes, 45 seconds in the semifinal wrestlebacks.
Johnson eventually ended the tourney by sticking New Trier’s Andrew Moy in 1 minute, 51 seconds in the third-place match to earn a berth to the Barrington Sectional on Feb. 12-13.
“I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Johnson says. “Getting third place is a huge accomplishment for me.
“This has been a break-out year for me,” he adds. “I’ve been locked in. I did a lot of lifting to get ready for the season. I felt this year was my chance.”
Johnson was positioned well for the season. He’s been at the 106-pound weight class for four years.
“It was his turn to be the Big Man on Campus (BMOC),” says first-year head coach Jason Welch, a former three-time All-American at Northwestern University. “Being at the same weight class for four years helps.”
Johnson was taking nothing for granted in that critical third-place match.
“Before the match, our assistant coach (Jerry Hagene) told me to trust my shots,” Johnson says. “Coach gave me the right advice.”
The wrestler also credited that voice in the stands: Doug Johnson.
“My dad used to wrestle. He likes to coach me from the bleachers,” says Johnson. “He’s a big help at meets.”
Dad also is big help off the mats.
“He helps me with strategy,” Johnson says. “And he keeps from getting down on myself. He teaches me to be mentally strong and not to lose my cool.”
That serious side definitely is there with Johnson. But, according to Welch, don’t be completely fooled by Johnson’s demeanor.
“Drew Johnson is my favorite goofball,” says the coach.
“Yes, he’s serious when he takes the mat,” Welch adds. “But he’s also a real fun kid. He knows when to turn it on and when to turn it off.”
Johnson, who has seven pins on the season, will take an impressive 28-12 record to the Barrington Sectional. And he won’t be going alone.
The Ramblers also qualified freshman Aidan McKeag, sophomore Sean Cloherty and junior Andrew Gonzalez.
McKeag (28-10) made it out at 113 pounds, when he edged Buffalo Grove senior Jake Greenberg 10-8 in the third-place match.
Cloherty (34-9) accomplished two things at the regional. He not only earned a sectional berth by pinning Glenbrook North’s Gio Kollias (1:58) in the 132-pound third-place match, but he also set the school record for most pins in a season (24).
“He’s got some funky moves. He’s wild. He’s real creative,” says Welch. “And he’s tough. He’s out there fighting the whole time.”
Gonzalez improved to 19-12 on the season after earning runner-up honors at 182. He lost to New Trier standout Jake Lowell in the final by technical fall.