State Spotlight: Lyons Senior Wrestler Lucas Polka

There are less than two weeks remaining of the high school wrestling season. For nine of 's starting wrestlers, the team state tournament in Bloomington, IL at the end of February marks the end of their high school wrestling career.  

Each of these young men is a unique individual, yet together they form a true brotherhood. We wrestling parents have also formed bonds, exactly like a family. A friend was teasing me at the over the past weekend as I referred to the various wrestlers as "my Luke" or "my Brian." By observing the parents who have preceded me and are still "around" the program, I can see that our attachment as a wrestling family will last long after the end of season banquet this March.  

During the next few days, I will highlight each LT senior starter. Today we meet one of the four team captains: Lucas Polka.

Lucas Polka started wrestling as a second grader. What made him choose wrestling at such a young age? His dad, Mike Polka, explains: "Our family parenting history book will be drafted to reflect ... 'Given countless hours of consideration and debate, ... (we made) another insightful decision that helped to chisel the character of our young man.' "

Though, Mike admits,"That book is filled with half truths!"

The real truth is Luke's parents, Mike and Jacqueline, were looking for something to keep him busy during the cold winter months. Hockey was ruled out because of the cost. Then, one of the local moms offered a suggestion: "My boy is in the LT kids club wrestling program. It’s cheap, he comes home exhausted, the coaches are fabulous and my boy loves it." 

The rest is history! Luke is LT's 145 pound starter and one of the most exciting-to-watch athletes I have ever seen. His style is aggressive and dynamic. One thing is for sure, regardless of the score at any given time, you can never, ever, count him out of a match. Luke took second place at the Leyden Sectional this past weekend. His trip to Champaign, IL, for the state competition will be the culmination of ten years of dedication to his sport.  

To know Luke is to know not only the toughest athlete, but also the gentlest, most polite young man. A decade later, Mike and Jacqueline are so pleased with the decision to get Luke involved with wrestling: "(We) have long believed that our prayers are often answered with the door of opportunity ... We have watched our son Lucas and his teammates grow into young men that every parent can be proud of ... So let our family history book reflect that the door that led our son to this program was one of the greatest thresholds that we have ever had the honor of passing through."  

As someone who counts Jacqueline and Mike among my dear friends, I couldn't agree more!