BLOOMDALE — There are milestones in every sport that are significant.
In wrestling, it’s the 100-win mark, and Elmwood has had three seniors accomplish the feat in the last
month.
Reaching the 100-win plateau signifies not only success in the sport, but longevity, and Elmwood’s
Garrett Wright, Kain Brossia and Corey Loera matches those standards.
The Royals now have 37 wrestlers in the 100-win club.
“It means that they’ve been an all-around wrestler for four years,” Elmwood’s first-year head coach Nick
Davis said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into that mark. A lot of pride, a lot of sweat, a lot of
blood and a lot of nagging injuries to wrestle through. It’s an important mark to reach.”
Wright and Brossia each hit the mark against Bellevue during the Joe Szymczak duals on Jan. 26. A week
later Loera collected his 100th win in a dual against Liberty Center.
The feat meant celebration with past coaches, teammates, family and friends. And for good reason.
Every sport requires an element of hard work and dedication to achieve success, but wrestling takes it to
another level. Wrestlers are constantly worried about their weight, they’re constantly conditioning, and
they’re perfecting their craft during and after practice.
“It’s more than just those 100 wins. It’s the time spent behind those 100 wins that means so much,” Davis
said. “Families see that. They see their student-athlete go out and run. They see their student-athlete
having to manage weight. They see their student-athlete hitting the weight room. They see them practice
from 3-5 by they’re not home until 6-6:30 because they’re still in the wrestling room working to make
this move that much better.”
Elmwood has nine seniors in the program this year, and Wright, Brossia and Loera lead that group. They’ve
provided stability and consistency over the last four years, giving showing the underclassmen how to
prepare on a daily basis.
Davis has told the trio to set the bar high at practice every day so others can imitate their work ethic
and eventually raise their individual standards.
“We provide a big role. I think a lot of the underclassmen look up to us,” said Wright, a two-year
captain. “You can see it in practice, when the underclassmen are getting pretty tired you have to keep
on pushing because you can see them looking at you.
“I like to think I do thrive in that role.”
Brossia said that he’s been wrestling with Wright and Loera since kindergarten. They’ve developed over
the years and have become counted upon for not only wins, but also the ability to affect their teammates
in a positive manner.
“Once you have that core other people want to be around that core,” Davis said. “That makes your numbers
a lot better. Then when they’re out there drilling and working hard in the wrestling room, other people
see that and they want to work hard.
“In the leadership position that these guys are in, they set the standard for the other guys, and they
set the example for the other guys. That’s what these three have done throughout their career and that’s
why they’ve reached this milestone.”