Providence’s Justus Heeg isn’t daunted by an opponent’s name or reputation.
The 157-pound sophomore carries the pedigree of a state champion into every match he wrestles, but it goes beyond that. His mindset is to just focus on his goals and aspirations, not the enemy.
“I think I’m a totally different person on the mat,” Heeg said with a nod. “I don’t care what they’ve done or who they are. I’m always looking to go out there and try to dominate.”
Heeg definitely delivered a dominant performance Saturday afternoon.
He dispatched IC Catholic sophomore Aiden Arnett with relative ease, rolling to a 16-5 major decision in a championship match of the Catholic League Meet at De La Salle in Chicago.
Heeg (42-1) also posted two wins by technical fall in the preliminary rounds for Providence, which took third in the team standings. Junior Tommy Banas (138) and sophomores Christian Corcoran and Jasper Harper (165) each finished second.
After winning the Class 2A state championship last season at 150, Heeg is the top-ranked wrestler at 157 this winter by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association website.
And his first name? That comes from the Bible — derived from the Latin for “righteous” or “upright” —the perfect description of an athlete who exudes elite discipline and resolve on the mat.
He’s not one to stand back and wait for something to happen.
”He likes to go hard and likes a challenge,” Providence coach Donny Reynolds said of Heeg. “Everything he does is a step in the process. Some wrestlers think about state championships.
“He has bigger goals. He has a great work ethic.”
Heeg was a champion even before he took his first class in high school.
Spending a year in the suburbs of St. Paul, Heeg took advantage of a Minnesota sports by-law that allowed him to compete in the state championship in eighth grade.
He ended up winning the 139-pound state title.
“That definitely changed my whole mindset,” Heeg said. “From then on, I knew I could just beat anybody. That showed my maturity on the mat.”
Judah Heeg, Justus’ older brother, is a senior 215-pounder for Lemont who won the Class 2A state championship last season at 190.
AJ Heeg, their older brother, was a standout at Lemont who’s currently wrestling at Northern Colorado. His three older sisters were dancers.
Judah Heeg, with just one loss, is ranked No. 4 in Class 2A.
“We both won state at different schools and took different paths,” Judah said of Justus. “We always pushed each other and held the same standard.”
Justus pointed out that by going to different schools, the two brothers are better able to differentiate success and stake out separate identities.
Their father played football in college. A family friend with a wrestling background told him his sons had a special talent for wrestling.
Justus began early at age 4 or 5. He developed his style at the Southside Outlaws program.
“That’s where I learned my underhook and knowing how to control the mat,” he said. “I came to Providence, and that’s where I learned to use my speed and around the mat side to side.”
Heeg’s style — intuitive, peculiar and virtually impossible to defend — is a mixture of combative and propulsive. It’s exceptionally difficult to gain an advantage on his low center of gravity.
Success has only emboldened him to push harder.
Off the mat, he prefers a low-key approach of listening to music, hanging out with friends or playing video games. His quiet, reflective, purposeful nature transforms once he takes the mat.
“I’m calm, but when I need to be aggressive, I discover that part of me,” he said. “No matter what else I’ve achieved, I have that hunger to go out, keep winning and dominate every match.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
