Sandburg’s Brady Ritter loves wrestling except for one thing.
Cutting weight.
The junior is the only returning Eagles wrestler to make it to state last year. He competed in the 138-pound division in 2025 after qualifying for state as a freshman at 132.
This year, he’s at 165.
“I was sick of cutting,” he said. “I feel like I wrestle my best when I am hydrated and have food in my belly.”
Ritter won three matches on Dec. 6 during the Eagles’ quadrangular in Orland Park as they beat Batavia 53-14, Fremd 57-14 and Lyons 47-19.
“The bigger he gets, the better he gets,” Sandburg coach Clinton Polz said of Ritter. “He is stronger and still moves really well.”
How did Ritter gain so much weight in a year?
“Eating,” he said. I’ve been eating a lot of protein and drinking protein shakes, chicken, rice. … I eat three meals a day, but just bigger portions.”
Ritter said that putting on the extra weight has not impacted his speed this season and feels comfortable while on the mat.
Ritter is ranked fourth in Class 3A in the 157-pound class by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.
Powell belt-ing foes
Lyons’ Griff Powell wanted to win the Brian Keck Preseason Nationals belt in Des Moines, Iowa. The belts were given to national champions, but Powell came up short in a previous try.
“It’s a big belt with a gold plaque that says ‘USA Wrestling’ on it,” he said. “I wanted that belt.”
He got it in October. At 138 pounds, he won the national championship and shortly thereafter, he committed to Illinois, where his father, also named Griff, was an all-American. The elder Powell is Lyons’ wrestling coach.
“I’ve always been around (Illini head coach Mike Poeta) since I was a little kid and I knew it would be a good fit for me,” the younger Powell said. “My dad and my mom (Katherine Karubas) went there and (she) was a gymnast.”
Powell went 3-0 in the Sandburg quad while the Lions went 2-1.
Powell is ranked second in Class 3A at 138 behind Marmion’s Zach Stewart.
Don’t count out Eagles
Because Sandburg graduated 10 seniors, there isn’t much preseason hype for the Eagles.
But Ritter thinks that will change.
He predicts wrestlers such as Anthony and Kyle Hayes and Oscar Kalman will be turning some heads during the season.
Polz said he can’t remember graduating so many starters in one year, but is not worried about the inexperience.
“Now it’s time to get some younger guys some experience,” Polz said. “They are going to take some bruises, but I think we’re building in the right direction.”