Providence's Klimara Pins Down December Athlete of Month Honors

A information sheet was distributed at his school. A buddy said, “Sure, let’s do it.”  And Eddie Klimara’s excellent wrestling adventure was hatched.

Klimara, a Providence Catholic High School senior, first was fitted in a singlet in first grade. Back then, he didn’t know the difference between ordinary sneakers and wrestling shoes.

Today, he is treading on the brink of an historic achievement.

Klimara is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A at 126 pounds by Illinois Matmen and boasts a 26-1 record heading into the Geneseo Invitational. He is bidding for his fourth straight appearance in the IHSA state finals and his second IHSA state championship.

And he is right on track to fulfill all of his goals.

Klimara, Patch’s December Athlete of the Month, defeated Iowa City West’s Jack Hathaway 7-2 to win the 126-pound title at the Al Dvorak Memorial Tournament Dec. 22-23. The tournament long has been considered a barometer of what’s to come in the postseason.

The title for Klimara was his fourth straight at the Dvorak. He became the second individual in the history of the storied tournament to turn the trick. The first was a former teammate, Providence graduate Edwin Cooper.

“Honestly, it was great, just because me and (Cooper) are the only ones who have won it four times,” Klimara said. “There have been plenty of amazing wrestlers who have gone to the tournament. It’s one of the toughest every year, just with all the out-of-state kids and the tough competition with all the Catholic schools and all the tough teams overall. You can’t overlook anyone.”

Klimara won titles previously at the Dvorak in three other weight classes—103 freshman, 119 sophomore and 125 junior. He finished first in the IHSA state tournament at 103 as a freshman. He added second-place finishes at 119 as a sophomore and 125 as a junior.

Klimara’s four-year record is 142-5. His only loss this season came when he bumped up to 132 to face Minooka’s Bobby Zabel in a dual meet. Zabel eked out a 6-4 victory.

Product of Hard Work, Dedication

Klimara rarely ekes anything out. More often than not, he wins decisively and, yet, his is a who-woulda-thunk-it story.

“No one in my family wrestled,” Klimara said. “Actually one of my friends, Tyler Price, when we were real little, we got a sheet at our school. We decided we might like it. So, we decided to join up.”

The two signed up for the Junior Knights wrestling program. And they’ve kept in touch to this day.

Price is a standout high school wrestler at Lincoln-Way Central. Klimara’s name is thrown around at Providence in the same breath as many of those etched on the Celtics’ Mount Rushmore of wrestling.

“He’s definitely in the mix,” Providence coach Keith Healy said. “So many great wrestlers have come through Providence. Obviously, you start with Mark Ruettiger being the first first-time state champion ever, and then you talk about Matt Kucala with the greatest upset ever, and you go to Nick Passolano wrestling with two torn ACLs.

“You throw in a (Mike) Togher, who was a dark horse, and  ‘Coop’ (Edwin Cooper), who was just dominant. And now you’ve got Eddie (Klimara), who is right in the mix with all of those guys.”

Klimara’s two biggest fans live with him—his mother and father. His mother attends nearly every meet and has logged miles getting him to-and-form workout sessions and tournaments.

“My mom goes to most of the meets,” Klimara said. “She normally takes me to the off-season tournaments if they’re far away. She knows wrestling almost as well as I do. She probably knows it off the back of her hand.”

She even has “coached” Klimara on occasion during dinner time conversations.

“She used to tell me, ‘Oh, you messed up here and here,’ ” he said. “She would kind of like act like a coach. It was funny. Now, she won’t tell me much. She knows I know what I’m doing.”

He is preparing for a future wrestling in the collegiate ranks.

Healy sees Klimara going on to have more success at the next level. Healy has enjoyed watching Klimara grow up during his days at Providence.

“My job is to prepare them for the next level, educationally, spiritually and as a wrestler,” Healy said. “To watch him grow—he was a real quiet, tiny little freshman at 103, knowing that we had some kids in the room that would probably pick on him a bit because that’s what happens.

“To see him grow to be the leader that he is on this team has been fun. He knew we were going to struggle a little bit in the beginning of the season. But he believed in what we were doing and helped me to get the kids to believe.

“He’s probably the biggest cheerleader on the bench. When the other guys are wrestling, he’s always matside watching and helping those guys out as much as possible. So, it’s been enjoyable to watch him grow from a real quiet freshman to a great leader on the team.”

Klimara is the second Providence individual to be recognized as Patch’s Athlete of the Month. Ryan Utter was featured in October after tying for fourth place in the Class 3A boys state golf tournament.