It is rare to see a wrestler make a nearly 100-pound jump in weight class from one season to the next, but Maine South’s Ibrahim Nasir is taking that leap in stride.
Nasir notched a 28-10 record at 195 pounds last year but now wrestles in the 285-pound division as a 240-pound junior.
“I’m not any stronger than other heavyweights but my advantage is my quickness,” Nasir said. “I have to wrestle well on my feet. But I’m more confident in what I can do this year.”
With a 14-3 record through Dec. 30, Nasir has been a quick study in how to wrestle against opponents who can be nearly 50 pounds heavier than he is. He can also now eat whatever he wants after struggling to get his weight down to 195 to start the season.
Maine South coach Kevin Hansen indulged Nasir’s desire to stay at 195 at the season’s outset before putting his foot down.
“He had gained weight and was naturally just bigger as a junior,” Hansen said. “He was adamant about getting back to 195 but it was difficult for him and he was pretty miserable. So I just made the decision for him to go heavyweight.
“He’s really relatively new to the sport but every day he gets better. He has a presence about him.”
Hansen found Nasir in the weight room his freshman year and talked him into going out for the sport. An injury on the team thrust Nasir into the varsity lineup and his high school wrestling career took flight.
Nasir, who also wrestled in fifth and sixth grade, went 14-6 at 195 as a freshman and qualified for a Class 3A sectional thanks to a third-place regional finish. He was a sectional qualifier last year and finished one win away from advancing to the state finals in Champaign.
Maine South’s Ibrahim Nasir (left) was one win away from making the state tournament at 195 pounds last season. | Gary Larsen/for Chicago Tribune Media Group
In a sport like wrestling where learning from one’s mistakes is vital to future success, Nasir has already shown a capability for growth.
He went into Palatine’s 31-team tournament on Dec. 30 with an 11-1 record, his lone loss coming earlier this year to St. Patrick’s Eduardo Salgado.
After losing his semifinal match to top-ranked D’Andre Johnson of Glenbard East, Nasir wrestled Salgado in the consolation round and won a 9-6 decision. He went on to place fourth in the tournament.
“This tournament was the test, really, to see where he stood,” Hansen said. “We’re not quite where we need to be on our feet to beat the elite kids, but we’re right there.
“When you’ve only been wrestling for a few years, every time you’re on the mat you’re learning how to move and where to be. Every day, he gets better at that. His mat presence is better, his strength is better, and he’s mentally tougher.”
Nasir also plays football and throws the shot put for the Hawks’ track team. However, he knew last year that he had found his true calling — one he’d like to pursue in college.
“Football is fun but wrestling is my sport,” Nasir said. “I put a lot of work in during the offseason after last year and that work has helped my confidence. My freshman year my offense was very limited, last year I opened up a little more, and this year I’m really going for it.”