Competitive energy is beaming out of the wrestling room as you walk into the general vicinity. Fist bumps are distributed everywhere you look, and words of encouragement are continuously thrown around. In the center of all the commotion is Senior Chase Nobiling, a last name that has been around the school for over a decade.
The Nobiling wrestling legacy began with their father, Antioch Community High School wrestling coach Ed Nobiling, who wrestled at Olivet Nazarene College for one year, where his career ended after an unfortunate injury. However, Ed wanted to become a wrestling coach since seventh grade.
“My goal was to take over my high school wrestling program and then raise my children and coach my kids throughout their high school years,” Ed said.
He did just that. He did not have the privilege of coaching his oldest son, ACHS class of 2020 wrestler Devin Nobiling, in high school due to already coaching at Waukegan High School. But he was lucky enough to coach the ACHS class of 2023 wrestler Caleb Nobiling and current ACHS wrestler Chase Nobiling.
Both of Chase’s older brothers continued to wrestle in college. However, Chase did not know if he wanted to do the same. In fact, he considered retiring after Caleb graduated, so he could focus solely on playing football. His father insisted that he continue wrestling because it helped him become a better football player. Junior year is when he flipped a switch and decided he wanted to become a college wrestler. He worked harder than ever to achieve this goal, and it ultimately paid off, leading to a fourth-place finish at state.
When Chase’s time came to wrestle at ACHS, there was a heavy amount of pressure following his brothers. Both Devin and Caleb were state qualifiers and continued on to wrestle in college. His oldest brother was extremely dedicated to the sport, while his other brother was naturally a skilled athlete on the mat. Despite the pressure and drive to become better than both of them, English teacher Lindsay Edwardson, who is close with the family because of her husband teaching at Waukegan High School with Ed, recalls how highly Chase spoke of his father and older brothers during his freshman year. With a lot to live up to, Chase became a blend of both his brothers’ strongest traits, leading to his fourth-place finish at state junior year and his potential to place even higher his senior year.
“It could be one of the top wrestlers in the country, or it could be just the average guy that just bumped up from a JV spot,” Ed said. “He’s going to approach it the same way and attack it the same way.”
Getting coached by a parent is a unique experience for any athlete. Oftentimes, they push their own child harder than any other athlete on the team. It can also be difficult to escape from the sport when sharing a house and family with the coach. In terms of Ed, he does a good job of leaving his coaching personality on the mats and his dad personality at home. Although they may talk about the sport and watch some film, overall, home life and wrestling life are completely different for the Nobilings.
Ed is clearly a strong mentor for Chase. Chase has a trust for him that he does not have for most of his coaches. He is very picky about who is in his corner on the mat, but Ed never fails to make the cut.
Other difficulties he faced included conditioning and cutting weight. But with his resilience and hard work, no challenges could set him back. Chase is known for going above and beyond in both his sports and his academics.
“He always has that look on his face, almost unapproachable,” Ed said. “But he’s a really nice guy. He’s loyal, he works hard, and he’s actually a really nice kid.
Chase is also known for being easy to mess around with. For example, last year, he did not choose Edwardson for teacher appreciation night, despite knowing his family for years. Her husband teaches at Waukegan High School with Ed, and she taught Caleb in True Crime and Literature his senior year, so she has built a strong relationship with the Nobiling family. To this day, she still has not let him live the situation down. He claims that he was planning on asking her during his senior year, but now there might not be a teacher appreciation night this year. Edwardson even wishes him good luck passing True Crime and Literature, the class she is currently teaching him. But at the end of the day, Edwardson will never truly be upset about the situation.
“I hope that he knows how lucky I feel to have known him during his time at Antioch,” Edwardson said.
Chase and his brothers have all made a positive impact on ACHS throughout their years, and 2026 is the last year to catch members of the Nobiling family wrestling at ACHS. With Chase graduating, Ed will also be retiring from coaching. The family has no doubt made their legacy at ACHS.
