By Mike Clark
Photos Courtesy of the IHSA
CHAMPAIGN — Evan Jocic’s comeback story had a successful ending. Jocic started his high school sports career at Montini, qualifying for the IHSA Class 2A state wrestling tournament as a sophomore in 2023 and going 1-2 at 195 pounds.
He transferred to Taft for his junior year and had a standout baseball season, earning All-City second-team honors as an outfielder. Jocic didn’t wrestle as a junior, but that changed this season.
“He took a year completely off wrestling, focused on baseball,” Taft wrestling coach Tom Angsten said. “I taught at the school, so (I) convinced him to come back.”
Jocic won the Public League 215-pound title and last weekend at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign State Farm Center, became the second state placer in program history.
He reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champ Charles Walker of Joliet Central and finished 3-2 at state, taking fifth place with an 11-6 win over Batavia’s Asher Sheldon.
Taft’s only other state placer was Julian Valtierrez, who finished fourth in 3A at 113 in 2020.
Jocic, who finished 37-5, showed no signs of rust this season.
“It was like riding a bike for him,” Angsten said. “Luckily, he was still able to compete at a high level. He put in the work and he earned every right to be here.
“He fell short of his goal of making the finals, but he still wrestled tough. So we’re very proud of him.”
Jocic set the tone for his younger teammates, according to Angsten.
“His work ethic in the room — the kids see it,” Angsten said. “They look up to it, they try to mirror it. … It’s good to see that they’re not just looking at us coaches for an example, but they see other kids doing it.”
Jocic was the Public League’s lone state placer this season.
Lane senior Alex Valentin (42-9) came close, losing in the consolation quarterfinals to finish in the top eight in the Class 3A 132-pound bracket.
**Eleven CPL Boys Wrestlers qualified for the IHSA State Wrestling Championship.
Other CPL Participants included Wrestlers from LaneTech, Kennedy, Ag.Science, Rickover, Perspectives, Phoenix, Horizon SW, and Goode High Schools.
