Yorkville senior Caleb Viscogliosi will play football at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville next year, but he wasn’t sure he was going to wrestle this season.

There’s no doubt Yorkville wrestling coach Jake Oster and the Foxes are thrilled he’s returned. He just went 4-1 at the Don Flavin Invitational on Dec. 29-30 at DeKalb.

“He’s a big point scorer and he really wasn’t sure he was going to compete this year with some injuries and if he wanted to do it,” Oster said. “He’s wrestling through some injuries right now when we need him. We sat him a couple meets just for some rest. He’s a fun guy to watch. He does some unconventional things and he’s pretty good at what he does. If we are in a spot for a big pin he’s a guy that can deliver a lot for us.”

It was a dreamlike football season for Viscogliosi until the Foxes exited the playoffs after a 17-0 loss to Glenbard North in a Class 7A opening round game.

“That team was extremely resilient,” Viscogliosi explained. ‘We ran into multiple challenges along the way and not one of them quit working because we believed in each other. Only we knew what each other were capable of and we pushed it to the max.”

Viscogliosi helped the team qualify for the playoffs after a 4-5 record in 2024, going 7-3 while playing alongside brother, Dillon, as a formidable linebacker duo.

“Me and my brother took part on the defensive side of the ball and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Viscogliosi said. “Growing up and thinking I was his role model just to learn that I look up to him in many ways as well taught me so much. Him, along with everyone else on that team, were a blessing to play with. In the offseason I work out, or get field work in with all of my teammates.

“We completely flipped our culture of Yorkville High School and I wouldn’t have it any other way with my brothers. I plan to go into the UWP the same way I went into senior year – confident and reliant on my knowledge and teammates. I’m extremely excited to see what’s in store for me up in Wisconsin. It’s a great opportunity with a great program.”

For now, he’ll wrestle.

“Wrestling instills a discipline in me that nothing else would,” Viscogliosi said. “I was questioning [whether] to wrestle this year due to complications, but talking to my coach reminded me of that discipline idea. Wrestling has made me the person I am today and following through with this journey was an amazing choice that was made along with my family, teammates and coaches.”

When Viscogliosi is delivering ferocious hits on the football field, he’s got teammates around him, but on the mat it’s mano y mano.

“Knowing that no one is in the circle to help you and it’s just you against one person is extremely thrilling,” Viscogliosi said. “It requires me to have my own confidence and build myself up outside of the circle, like in the room. My coaches help me a lot in a confidence aspect. Apart from that, I really love being on a team and I appreciate that I still get that feeling when we dual another team. I love it.”

Viscogliosi opened with an 11-8 loss to Naperville Central’s Nicolas Olvera at 175.

“This weekend was an up and down feeling for me,” Viscogliosi said. “I started off by losing a match in which I should have wrestled smarter, but I fixed my mentality shortly after. I’d say that was the key to my wins. Wrestling how I wrestle and making sure to control the match played a big role in all of my matches this weekend.”

The Foxes still won the dual over the Redhawks, 38-32, and Viscogliosi followed by pinning Barrington’s Kabir Virk in 52 seconds in their 60-15 win over the Broncos.

He enjoyed a perfect Tuesday, pinning Joliet Catholic’s Aidan Bishop (1:25) at 190 and Grant’s Xavier Arroyo (3:18) at 175 before finishing a tech fall win over St. Charles East’s Ben Guskiewicz back at at 175.

“My role on the team is to fill our not so deep weights,” Viscogliosi said. “175 and 190 are weights where we don’t really have a backup to fill the weight. If someone gets moved up I have to step up and get those team points at 190. They’re a little heavier than me, but I have learned to be quicker and smarter in that aspect and capitalize on their mistakes.”

He learned through the pain of a tough loss last year at the Joliet Central Sectional, narrowly advancing to state.

“I told myself I was not going to let myself down like that again,” Viscogliosi said. “I wasn’t wrestling my match and my opponent beat me with his offense. Developing my own offense is what I have been doing as a response to that important loss. State is a big goal of mine this year, and I’m looking to place.”

And he’ll do it his way, Viscogliosing opponents.

“I’d say I’m unconventional because I use my length and my opponent’s movement to my advantage,” he said. “Instead of forcing positions, I capitalize on their mistakes and turn their offense into scoring opportunities. I’ve also recently expanded my offensive game by shooting more and incorporating tilts, and it’s been working really well in my favor.”