Brother Rice's James Crane gains fuel from overtime decision in Catholic League Meet. ‘Never want that to happen.'

Chicago Tribune

28-01-2025

At the worst possible moment, Brother Rice senior James Crane felt the anguish and slippery divide between success and failure.
It didn't feel symbolic, nor reassuring, having his fate in the grasp of an opponent's ankle that he just couldn't quite convert into the necessary takedown.
'I've always been competitive,' Crane said. 'I personally hate losing. When I do lose, I take it hard, then come back and work way harder because I hate that feeling. I never want that to happen.
'It definitely stung because I know I could have won. It doesn't feel good right away, but I'm not haunted or anything like that. I just have to use that as fuel and learn from my mistakes.'
Crane gained fueled Saturday following a 4-1 overtime loss to IC Catholic's Isaac Barrientos in the 190-pound championship bout of the Catholic League Meet at Montini in Lombard.
A defending state qualifier at 190, Crane came up agonizingly short in his quest for the conference title. Still, he helped Brother Rice place fifth, with sophomore Daniel Costello taking second at 175.
As a junior last season, Crane finished with a record of 38-15.
His pin in the final match against Mahomet-Seymour in the Class 2A team dual quarterfinal helped pave the way for a fourth-place finish and the Crusaders' first state trophy in program history.
The one-two punch of qualifying for the individual and dual team state finals played a decisive part in his current success, underscored by a 30-5 record after the Catholic League Meet.
'Coaching would be easy if every team had James on there,' Brother Rice coach Jan Murzyn said of Crane, who's ranked No. 7 at 190 in Class 2A by Illinois Matmen. 'You're not going to find a stronger kid at that weight class.
'He's a hand fighter now. He wasn't like that so much last year, but now he is. We have some polishing to do with him. He's not going to be satisfied unless he gets on that podium at state.'
While losing has been a rare occurrence for Crane, he's naturally self-effacing about it, according to teammate Jack O'Connor, a senior who finished third Saturday at 150 pounds.
Crane was recently awarded the Western Golf Association Evans Scholar, more popularly known as the Chick Evans Scholarship, a full tuition and housing grant.
Crane has been a caddy at the Ridge Country Club in Beverly for five years. He hopes to use the scholarship at either Illinois or Iowa.
'There's a reason he's one of the captains,' O'Connor said of Crane. 'Jimmy's never skipping, never showing up late. He's super disciplined, which makes him the elite athlete he is.
'Jimmy's a person everyone wants to be around. He's always in a good mood — the most humble person I know. You never hear him bragging about being an Evans Scholar or state qualifier.'
Crane has learned to brilliantly negotiate the different emotional, physical and psychological blocks connected to the sport.
Family is a crucial link. His older brother, Tom, also was a state qualifier at Brother Rice, and older sister Fiona, who prepped at Mother McAuley, is a junior outfielder in softball for St. Xavier.
His oldest sister, Cecilia, and her husband set up a customized wrestling mat in the basement of their Frankfort home to help James work on his conditioning and technique.
'I've always had high expectations,' he said. 'My sisters and brother were smart academically, and I've always been living up to them. What really motivates me is I want to be on that podium.
'That has been my dream. Wrestling is 90% mental. You can psych yourself out of a match and destroy your confidence. You just have to go out there and live in the moment.'