Call Austin Gomez’s style what you will. The Libertyville senior wins with it, and people notice. ‘I’m the hunted now.’

Austin Gomez’s coach, Dale Eggert, calls it “scrambling.”

The Libertyville senior likes the phrase “pushing the pace.”

Whatever it’s called, Gomez’s style on the mat has served him well. It also served his method in planning his future in sports.

“I don’t like sitting back and waiting for my opponent to make a move,” he said. “I want to be controlling the tempo of the match if I can. Sometimes it means taking some chances.”

Gomez didn’t sit back while weighing college options. He wanted a school that would allow him to compete in his two favorite sports, wrestling and baseball. Coe, a college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that competes in NCAA Division III, will do that.

“I’ve been visiting Coe College since my sophomore year, and everyone there supported me in trying to do both sports,” he said. “There shouldn’t be a scheduling problem unless I make it to the wrestling finals, and then I might miss my baseball spring trip.

“But that’s a problem I don’t think I will have.”

Counting Gomez out of any accomplishment might be a bad bet, however. The 182-pounder is having another standout season after earning all-state honors with a third-place finish at 170 in the Class 3A state meet last year.

Highlights of Gomez’s season include a championship at Prospect’s Mudge-McMorrow Invitational, second place at Barrington’s Moore-Prettyman Invitational and a perfect 6-0 record with six pin falls in the prestigious 32-team Don Flavin Invitational in DeKalb. He has a 29-4 record heading into the final weeks of the season.

Another highlight for him could have come at the Lake County Invitational, which Libertyville is hosting this weekend. A showdown with Grayslake Central’s Matty Jans, who finished third at 182 in the Class 2A state meet last year, would have been possible. But a minor arm injury prevents Gomez from competing.

“We want to be careful with Austin with a big meet with Stevenson (for first place in the North Suburban Conference) next weekend and regionals the following weekend,” Eggert said.

Staying healthy for the stretch run is a priority for Gomez too.

“It feels a little weird that this is my final few weeks wrestling for Libertyville,” he said. “I know it won’t sink in for real probably until after the season is over. I guess I’m glad I will have baseball to go right into to keep my mind busy.”

Gomez knows it’s the time of the year when one little mistake can result in a season-ending loss.

“Most of my losses this season have come on my mental lapses,” he said. “I have to clean things up and stay focused so that doesn’t happen again.”

Eggert says Gomez’s sometimes chaotic style makes him a difficult opponent to face.

“I think it comes down to Austin having a lot of experience in wrestling over the years,” Eggert said. “He can do stuff that some other guys might not think of or even try to do.

“He just wants to compete and win, so anything that he can do to make that happen, he’s going to try.”

Gomez said he would like his Libertyville wrestling career to end back on the podium at the state meet.

“I was a little surprised I finished third at state last season,” he said. “I think I snuck up on some people. This year I know I’m the hunted now, so there’s more pressure on me.

“Fortunately, I have great coaches and teammates to help me keep on track and be ready for anything as the season wraps up.”

Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.