LITH Teen Places Second at State Wrestling Tournament

Jared Koch, a resident of Lake in the Hills and a senior at Marion Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, was honored at Thursday night’s Village Board meeting for taking second in the state wrestling tournament.

Village President Ed Plaza, who read the proclamation, said to expect more good news about Koch's achievements in the future.

“I’ve watched this boy grow up,” Plaza said.

Seventeen-year-old Koch -- who came in second in the 189-pound weight division for the Class 2A Illinois State High School Wrestling Tournament -- was also a standout football player at Marion.

His mother, Susan Koch, chairs the village’s Parks and Recreation Board.

Future Goals for Koch

Koch will be attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.  He reports for duty on July 12.

As for which sport Koch prefers, football or wrestling, he says it's a tough call.

“Well, with football you have the ‘Friday Night Lights’ thing,” Koch said, referring to the television show about a small town in Texas whose inhabitants live for and worship the game and the players.

“Then, with wrestling, you’re basically by yourself, on the mat,” said Koch, shrugging. “It’s a more individual sport.”