Lockport’s Sophie Kelner knew Wednesday night was going to present a big challenge for her as she squared off with one of the state’s top wrestlers in Oak Forest’s Isabel Peralta.
When it became clear the outcome of a tight dual would likely swing on her match, there was even more pressure on the junior 190-pounder. But Kelner converts those nerves into positive energy.
“I was really nervous at first but something (teammate) Claudia Heeney taught me freshman year was to turn your nervousness into excitement,” Kelner said. “Get excited about it. Get excited that you get to show how good of a wrestler you are and you get to prove yourself.
“That kind of changes your mindset. Instead of getting so much anxiety for these big matches, you just get excited to go out there and do your thing.”
Kelner is providing plenty of excitement, and she continued her breakthrough season by edging Peralta 4-2 and lifting the Porters to a 42-36 win over the host Bengals in a battle between two of the Southland’s top girls wrestling teams.
Lockport also topped St. Laurence 63-18 in the triangular. The Bengals bounced back to beat the Vikings 59-12.
Kelner, Heeney, Dakota Obbish, Rebekah Ramirez and Suzuna Hosey led the Porters, going 2-0.
Marjorie Rodriguez, Riona Jurik, Brooklyn Strelow, Maddy Moody and Adri Bille went 2-0 for Oak Forest, while Hannah Marusarz was 2-0 with two pins for St. Laurence.
Kelner got a late takedown to break a 1-1 tie against Peralta, a two-time state qualifier widely considered one of the top state contenders this season at 190.
That pulled the defending state champion Porters into a 36-36 tie and allowed Ramirez to finish off the win with a pin.
“Sophie had that big win and it definitely motivated me, seeing how awesome that win was,” Ramirez said. “Sophie was my practice partner last year and the growth this year has been huge.
“Her skills have definitely gotten better, but it’s definitely her mindset, too. She’s so determined this year, and it’s really great to see her get after it.”
Lockport coach Nate Roth was thrilled with Kelner’s performance.
“She’s been working so hard these last couple years and it’s paying off,” Roth said. “She’s doing amazing. That girl is good, she’s tough, and Sophie beat her.”
Kelner started wrestling as a freshman, and although she said she was “terrible at first,” she knew she had finally found the sport for her.
“I did everything growing up and nothing ever stuck,” she said. “My dad put me in softball, basketball, soccer, dance, gymnastics, everything. None of it ever stuck until this.
“I think I’ve always been a competitive person, but team sports were really hard for me. You rely on yourself in this sport. I think that’s what I found that I really liked about it. It’s all on me.”
Kelner fell one win short of advancing out of the regional round last season, but she got into the sectional anyway as an alternate, winning a match there before being eliminated.
That second chance fueled her fire for this season.
“I got to wrestle against people who were better than me at the time or at least could give me good competition,” Kelner said. “After that sectional, I was hungry to win.
“I told myself, ‘I’m going to come back next year and I’m going to win.’”
Kelner has been doing just that. She won a championship at the Oswego East Invite earlier in the month.
A trip to state is now her mission. She has a new sense of belief that she can get there.
“I went into matches last year thinking, ‘This person has a better record than me. I’m going to lose,’” she said. “Then it happened.
“I just want to go into matches thinking, ‘I’m not going to lose. I have something to prove.’”
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