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Lake Forest senior Seth Digby relies on his background in judo to gain an advantage during some of his wrestling matches.
Digby said he has spent many years working on his craft in both sports, but wrestling became his passion in high school.
“Judo helps a lot with situational stuff,” he said. “If I’m down a couple of points, I will try to hit a big throw, or if I’m outmatched physical-wise, I know I have a throw in my back pocket to win big matches.”
Digby is making a lot of big throws this season, becoming one of the best wrestlers in the state at 157 pounds. He is 18-0, a record that includes tournament titles at Richmond-Burton and Glenbrook South. He was named the most outstanding wrestler at Glenbrook South.
Lake Forest coach Nicholas Kramer, who wrestled at Grant, said Digby brings a different element to the mat. Digby earned a black belt in judo in November.
“I have not seen it from a coaching standpoint,” Kramer said. “His judo is unique. I know it makes an impact. He was wrestling a tough kid from Oswego (Colin O’Grady), and in the third period, he was able to make a pretty significant throw and win the match. His background in judo 100% has helped him.”
Digby, who qualified for the state meet at 152 in Class 2A last season, said he started wrestling when he was 6 years old and added judo when he was 9. Then he took a break from the former.
“I came back to wrestling in seventh grade after talking to a friend at school,” he said. “I wanted to try it again to see how I liked it. I liked it a lot.
“I think by my freshman year I realized I liked it even more and would put more focus into wrestling than judo because I knew I could do it in college. I thought wrestling would be a fun thing to do in college.”
Digby’s father, David, said wrestling is still unusual to him. Seth Digby was born in England before the family moved to New Jersey and then settled in the Chicago area.
“I knew very little about (wrestling) other than watching during the Olympics,” David Digby said. “In England, wrestling is not a common sport. Judo is much bigger. But it’s very special to watch Seth be successful in anything, especially with wrestling since it’s such a tough individual sport.”
Kramer said Seth Digby is an intense competitor but is even-keeled and team-oriented off the mat.
“(Seth) is a leader in the class, definitely from the standpoint he wants every kid involved,” Kramer said. “He’s very unique in that way, and that’s not something you see every day. He’s fiery and gets after it on the mat. But when he’s not in a match, he’s the first one walking around and coaching guys and helping them with their moves.”
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Lake County News-Sun
Away from the mat, Digby said he enjoys being outdoors.
“I’m a really avid fly fisherman,” he said. “When I was young, my uncles were really big fisherman, so they got me into fishing and a bit of fly-fishing. My dad took me fishing a lot. I enjoy it. I like being outside and getting a break from wrestling. Fly fishing is my time to chill.”
Kramer said this season is Digby’s time to shine.
“He has to keep working hard,” Kramer said. “As a coaching staff, we are doing our due diligence on the other guys he might see. Seth puts in the time and keeps getting after it. He’s a great kid and has the ability to be one of the top wrestlers in the state.”
Digby said he hopes to fulfill his potential.
“My goal is to win a state title, and I think I’m on track for that if I keep training like that,” he said. “I still have a lot of things to learn and do in the next month and a half to get in the best possible position to win a title.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.