At major tournaments, Marmion junior Zach Stewart just likes to drown out the noise.
A reigning Class 3A state champion, Stewart likes to carve out a sanctuary for himself. He finds a quiet place to deflect the anxiety and pressure that comes from performing under the bright lights.
“A lot of times before matches, I get nervous,” Stewart said. “Obviously, the mental aspect is a huge part. You don’t have to block it out, but you have to find something to get through.
“I have this book that teaches you how to turn nervousness into excitement.”
Stewart provided the excitement Saturday, dominating IC Catholic’s Aidan Arnett by technical fall in the 144-pound championship bout of the Catholic League Meet at Montini in Lombard.
Stewart was one of three individual champions for the Cadets, who produced seven finalists and finished runner-up for the team title by three points to IC Catholic.
Junior Nicholas Garcia (17-1), another reigning state champion, took the 126-pound title. Senior heavyweight Mateusz Nycz was dominant with three falls in winning the 285-pound weight class.
Stewart (26-2) won all three of his matches by technical fall. His only in-state loss is a competitive 4-0 defeat against three-time defending state champion Seth Mendoza of Mount Carmel.
“I think my style is vicious, slick and high-paced,” Stewart said. “I’ve jumped up a lot in weight classes since my freshman year. Height-wise, a lot of these guys are way bigger than me.
“That almost forces me to move more.”
The book Stewart values is “With Winning by Mind” by Lanny Bassham, an Olympic gold medalist sport shooter. The lessons about vision, discipline and perspective transcend particular sports.
It’s helped Stewart, who carries a bull’s-eye after winning the 138-pound state title last season.
“Guys are going to come after me and I have a target on my back,” Stewart said. “They aren’t supposed to win and they have nothing to lose, and they just come after me.
“It almost makes it harder on me.”
Stewart’s blend of power, balance, technique and body control has made him one of the state’s top wrestlers. The topper, according to Garcia, is that drive to succeed.
“He’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen,” Garcia said of Stewart. “He wins every single sprint. He is always doing extra work. I never saw anybody work harder this offseason.
“It says a lot about him and how competitive and intense he is. All of that work has paid off, at every level, either nationally or the state championships.”
Stewart is never timid or passive or unafraid to try out or experiment new actions.
“He’s not afraid to let it fly,” Marmion coach Nathan Fitzenreider said. “You know exactly what you’re going to get with him. He’s never scared. He’s never going to slow down or not try to score points.
“Most of his confidence comes from his work ethic. That’s his superpower. He knows he’s going to be ready when it matters. You think about it from the perspective of his opponents. They must think that’s a lot to handle for six minutes.”
Perspective is everything. A promising freshman season turned bittersweet after an injury cost him a medal at the individual state meet and the dual team state finals.
Then his sophomore season flipped the script.
“I always try to mentally prepare myself for what’s next — focus on the process and not the results,” Stewart said. “There might be things that set you back, but you find that one little success that makes you want to keep going.
“Everything that’s happening in my life is stressful. Once you get to wrestling, that’s the hobby. Working hard is the hobby. That takes everything else away.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
