Even if it’s by design, Marmion’s Jack Lesher doesn’t like taking a night off. ‘Go out there and let it fly.’

Marmion junior Jack Lesher earned a victory lap.

Basking in the glow of his 182-pound individual state championship, the two-sport star earned the night off Tuesday at the Class 3A Marmion Dual Team Sectional.

“My mindset was just to go out there and let it fly,” he said. “If something goes wrong, just stay calm and trust in my abilities.

“Nothing is tougher than wrestling. That gives me the advantage when I am also on the football field. It also makes me more determined to get things done.”

With Lesher watching from the sideline, the host Cadets registered three straight wins by fall to start off an easy 53-21 victory over Downers Grove South in Aurora.

The big margin gave Marmion’s coaching staff the freedom to take forfeits rather than risk injury.

Marmion (16-1), ranked No. 1 by Illinois Matmen, advanced to a 7 p.m. Friday state quarterfinal against Hersey at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

A confident Lesher (34-6) could only imagine his next move — leading the Cadets to the program’s first dual team state title.

“This is something that has never been done in our program,” he said. “I am looking to put ourselves in the best position possible.

“After the individual state tournament, we are putting in the work to fine tune some things.”

Lesher, a St. Charles native, was still riding that high. He beat Pekin’s Shamon Handegan, who had been undefeated, 6-1 at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center in Champaign.

As a sophomore, Lesher (41-6) finished fourth in the state at 182 pounds. Most wrestlers would have been thrilled.

Lesher, however, came away from the experience with a profound sense of disappointment.

“I knew I was better than what I finished last year, losing to some guys I knew I could beat,” he said. “I just did not finish. It has been a long year that I waited to get back.”

Lesher also took advantage of the absence of Lockport’s Brayden Thompson, who defeated Marmion’s Tyler Perry in last season’s 170-pound state championship match.

The Oklahoma State-bound Thompson, undefeated and top ranked in the country, decided to transfer to a high school in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for his second semester.

Lesher, the 14th state champion in program history, does not need an asterisk.

“I am not a full-time wrestler like Brayden,” he said. “When I found out he was moving, that was good news, but I also knew I could beat every other person.”

Lesher has been complemented by teammate Jameson Garcia, a senior and two-time champion who finished second Saturday at 126.

Garcia helped prepare Lesher for his state championship match after the blind draw opened with the 182-pound bout.

“It’s a big thing, just having that experience of being out there in front of all the fans and on those mats,” Garcia said. “It’s very intimidating at first, but once you get used to that, it becomes a lot of fun.”

Zach Stewart, a freshman and state qualifier at 120, called Lesher a natural leader for the Cadets.

“He has a personality and way about him that just translates to everybody in the room,” Stewart said. “It was great to see him go out there and do what he did.”

Lesher toggles between football and wrestling. Named all-conference at linebacker, he has multiple offers from Mid-American Conference schools.

Big Ten programs Illinois and Iowa have also expressed interest.

“I am just super helpful to the people who have helped get me to this point,” he said. “Especially my coaches, my teammates and my family for the sacrifices they have made.

“It was a really cool moment for that dream to come true.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.