Belleville West junior ended perfect season with long-awaited state championship
Josh Koderhandt had not been pushed to the limit by an opponent all year heading into the Class 3A 120-pound state wrestling title match Saturday in Champaign.
So dominant was the Belleville West junior that only four times all season had his matches not ended by either major decision, technical fall or pin.
But as he prepared for the third period of his IHSA state wrestling championship match with Vincent Robinson of Chicago Heights Marian at State Farm Center, Koderhandt trailed for the first time all season, 4-2.
The 113-pound state runner-up in 2019, Koderhandt didn’t panic.
“I had only been taken down twice all year and so in the state title match I got taken down as many times as I had in 42 matches. It was good to finally get pushed,” Koderhandt said Tuesday. “I was super surprised when I saw him (Robinson) choose bottom (position) because in the sectional I rode him out the entire third period. I was confident I could turn him.
“Sure enough, about a minute into the third period, I started cranking the powerhouse and was able to turn him. I then rode him out and sent the match into overtime.”
It didn’t take long from there. Koderhandt scored a takedown to win the match and become the new king of Belleville West Maroons wrestling with a 6-4 win.
“I didn’t know right away. There was a chance that time had expired or it might have been out of bounds,” he said.. “To see him (referee) put two fingers up for a takedown ... I’ll never forget that. I was like ‘I finally did it.’
“My mom was taking pictures and so the first person I hugged was her. That was pretty cool. She was crying. My dad was, too. He’s been with me all this time and he really wanted it for me. It’s been a few days now, so its starting to set in. To be a state champion is pretty amazing.”
Fifth state title for Belleville West
Koderhandt finished his season with a perfect 43-0 record. The title is the fifth in Belleville West history and first since DeMechico Spraggins won the Class 3A 138-pound title in 2013.
Also getting a hug on the State Farm Center Floor was Maroons coach Joe Rujawitz. One of the top wrestlers in West history and a four-time state qualifier as a Maroons wrestler, Rujawitz was an assistant under coach Al Sears when Spraggins won his state title in 2013.
“Its just good to know that all the sacrifices are worth it. During the wrestling season, you are thinking about this moment 24-7. With a kid like Josh who is just so talented, you want this for him so much. But you never know because this (state championship) is such a tough thing to win,” said Rujawitz.
“Josh is very coachable. He listens to what we tell him. I wasn’t really worried about him not having a tough match all year because he was so dominant and he gets pushed at practice. He had tough matches at practice.”
Like Rujawitz, Koderhandt wasn’t concerned about not being pushed in a match all season. For one reason, the Maroons junior was a better all-around wrestler.
Top, bottom or in the neutral position, it really didn’t matter to Koderhandt.
“My strength had always been in the neutral position. But I really improved on top and that gave me a big advantage over a lot of high school wrestlers. Another main focus this season was improvingon bottom,” Koderhandt said.
“I think not having a tough match worried Joe (Rujawitz) more than it worried me. It actually gave me confidence in knowing that nobody was close to me. Plus we had a new assistant coach this year who was a state champion a couple of years ago and so working out with him each day helped a great deal and also helped my confidence.”
What’s next for Koderhandt?
After winning his state title, Koderhandt is taking a week off before he begins to prepare for the spring and summer schedule. He will compete in the Virginia Beach Nationals in a few weeks and is also planning to wrestle in the Illinois State Freestyle and Greco-Roman Tournaments later this spring.
He also plans to take his time in choosing a college. He hopes for a career as a pilot and, while not a lot of schools offer his interest, he is looking into the places like the United States Air Force Academy, among others.
As for now, Koderhandt plans on working toward becoming the Maroons first two-time state champion. He’s also hoping for another state finals countdown from his coach.
“After each step Joe (Rujawitz) would say ‘ok, Josh you have so many matches until you win a state championship,” Koderhandt said. “He (Rujawitz) helped keep the pressure off me. We would talk about other things besides wrestling and he kept practices fun.
“On road trips we would all tell stories. It was just a great time.. I’m looking forward to next year already.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 8:52 AM.
