Bouncing back, Illinois recruit Liam Kelly looks to defend state title for Mount Carmel. ‘Best thing for me.’

Mount Carmel senior Liam Kelly knows what it’s like to ride the express elevator and experience the emotional equivalent of whiplash. He’s gone through the rise, the plummet and rising again.

Two years ago, as a sophomore wresting at 150 pounds, Kelly was so discouraged by going 2-2 and not earning a medal in the individual state tournament that he was ready to walk away.

“My coaches and my brothers kept me going,” Kelly said. “At the time, I thought losing was the worst thing that could happen. Looking back, it was the best thing for me.

“It helped my mindset more than anything. From there, it’s been a straight climb.”

Kelly returned with a vengeance last winter to the State Farm Center in Champaign — hungry, refocused and more than ready for anything and everything that came his way.

He passed with flying colors, pulling out a 4-3 win over West Aurora’s Dominic Serio to capture the Class 3A state championship at 157.

Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly, top, takes control against Marist’s Ty Valachovic in the 165-pound weight class during a nonconference dual meet in Chicago on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Nate Swanson / Daily Southtown)

Kelly’s older brother Colin, a two-time state champion for the Caravan and now a redshirt freshman at Illinois, was the first person to congratulate Liam.

“He has a really good personality,” Colin said. “He always stays positive. He’s fun to be around, even when wrestling gets tough and gritty. He’s one of the fastest learners I’ve ever known.

“I think that’s what has made him so good. He has really focused on the aspect of learning and getting better. He’s really coachable and he loves the sport.”

Liam, an Illinois recruit, is set to join his brother in college. And in his final high school season, he has taken his skills to another level.

Kelly (23-2), who’s undefeated against in-state competition, is the top-ranked wrestler at 165 in Class 3A by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.

He has negotiated the emotional and physical complications of the sport and improved every step of the way, according to Mount Carmel coach Alex Tsirtsis.

“The reason he’s gotten to where he is comes down to his day-to-day process,” Tsirtsis said. “No matter what accolades he has, he’s focused on getting better every single day. If you lose that focus, you don’t improve. He’s dialed in daily and that takes pressure off him too.”

“He’s been through the ringer to get here. That’s given him a different level of toughness. In some ways, he’s had to deal with more adversity than his brothers did and that’s shaped who he is.”

Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly, front, wrestles against West Aurora’s Dominic Serio in the 157-pound weight class during the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown)

If the earlier adversity informed his response, winning also underscored the need to remain vigilant and never take anything for granted.

“I still think about winning, but it’s in the past now,” Kelly said. “You can’t sit on it for too long because someone else is always trying to come and get you.

“I got right back in the room and worked with coach Alex all summer. I definitely jumped a few levels. I was going to practice a lot on the weekends and I also worked with my brother.”

Growing up as the third of four brothers in Mokena, Liam took pains to assert his personality.

Mount Carmel’s Liam Kelly, top, pins down Yorkville’s Jack Ferguson at 150 pounds in the Class 3A dual team state final at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

His oldest brother, Michael, played baseball at Mount Carmel and pitched at Western Michigan. Colin and Liam played crucial roles as the Caravan won the dual team state title two years ago.

Quiet and reserved, Liam has been staking out his own path.

“We have a little brother, he’s just 8, and I like to spend time with him and go to his tournaments,” Kelly said. “I also like to fish, and I play basketball in open gyms. I’m always trying to be excellent.

“My big brothers push me hard. I just want to be the best. The ultimate goal is to win a national title. Everything else along the way are just smaller goals that help you get there.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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