2022-23 NewsTribune Wrestler of the Year

From the time he was 6, wrestling was an activity that allowed La Salle-Peru senior Connor Lorden to bond with his father.

“My dad and I have grown a really good connection through wrestling,” Lorden said. “I just really liked the time I got to spend with my dad and my family and all my friends that I’ve met throughout the years.”

Lorden and his dad got to put an exclamation point on their wrestling journey this winter when Lorden participated in the Grand March at the IHSA state tournament with his dad walking alongside him as an L-P assistant coach.

“It was a really cool experience,” Lorden said about the state finals. “I got to walk out with my dad and it’ll be a lifelong memory. It was a great time.”

Although Lorden lost the 220-pound state title match to Washington’s Justin Hoffer, competing in the final put Lorden in an exclusive club at L-P.

Lorden is only the seventh Cavaliers wrestler to compete in a state title match and the first since 1998-99.

“It was an amazing season,” L-P coach Matt Rebholz said. “He’s one of the top wrestlers to come through the school. It’s a huge honor to be there [in the state finals].”

I’m just glad I finished it out with a high medal and really made my mark at the school.

—  L-P senior Connor Lorden

Lorden went 38-3 on the season – with two of the losses to Hoffer – won the Rockford East, Springfield, Morton, Geneseo and Interstate 8 Conference tournaments, claimed the title at the Class 2A Sterling Regional and placed second at the Rochelle Sectional and state tournament.

For all he accomplished, Lorden is the 2022-23 NewsTribune Wrestler of the Year. He also claimed the honor as a sophomore.

“My big goal was to be the champ, but I can’t be mad with second place,” Lorden said. “I’m just glad I finished it out with a high medal and really made my mark at the school.”

While Lorden enjoyed spending time with his dad during his wrestling career, he also credits his dad, Rebholz, L-P assistant Nolan Keeney and former Cavalier wrestlers Payton Piraino, Ayden Sines and Parker Swiskoski for pushing him this season.

“I honestly have to give it all to the coaches and all of my friends who came in and helped me out at practice,” Lorden said. “My dad and the coaching staff did a lot for me all throughout my high school career.

“They all just pushed me really hard and I think that’s where most of my success came from.”

Piraino, a former L-P heavyweight and NewsTribune Wrestler of the Year, Sines and Swiskoski all came to practice to spar with Lorden.

“They came in quite a few times to help me get some different looks and some good goes in the room,” Lorden said. “Ayden is a smaller guy but he’s just an animal on his feet. He helped me by getting my feet moving, quick shots and quick sprawls. Parker and Payton are big, strong guys, so that gave me a different look. They just pushed me.”

One drill that stood out for Lorden was when a combination of coaches and former L-P wrestlers would line up and Lorden would wrestle each for two minutes at a time.

“It would be my dad, then Rebolz then Ayden and Parker,” Lorden said. “They would keep rotating and I always had a fresh body on me. It just sucked.

“They were big into the mental mindset. In practice, they tried to break me so I wouldn’t break on the mat and I think that really helped. Everyone just pushed me past my limits and it showed on the mat.”

Rebholz, who describes Lorden as an “athletic” and “explosive” wrestler, said Lorden was always willing to put in the hard work.

“If there was an opportunity to get on the mat, he got on the mat,” Rebholz said. “It was never an argument. There was never a complaint. If I said run stairs, he’s the first one out the door. If I say go lift, he’s the first one in the weight room and he’s working hard the entire time.

“He put in relentless hard work. He had his goal set and he worked toward it every day.”

That will serve him well as he considers moving on to college to wrestle. Lorden, who has college visits coming up, said he never saw himself wrestling in college, “but these last couple of years really showed me that I’m capable of competing with the high-level guys.”

“If he puts work into whatever he’s doing, he can achieve anything,” Rebholz said. “He showed that this year.”