“We actually have two stoplights,” said Falcons’ head coach Jason Knott.
Two stoplights and 25 consecutive state team wrestling championships as Graham Local is indeed one of the epicenters of the Ohio prep wrestling universe — a fact the Falcons prove year in and year out.
Graham claimed its silver anniversary crown in runaway fashion Sunday at the OHSAA State Championships at Schottenstein Arena in Columbus. The Falcons were so dominant that they had already clinched the Division III team title on Saturday — 24 hours in front of the final day of competition. They finished with 148 total points — far ahead of runner-up Lake Catholic’s 88 tallies.
“To be able to do this 25 years in a row — that’s awesome,” said Falcons 175-pounder Kyler Crooks — one of his school’s three individual champs for the day. “We just get in the room two times a day every day and get after it. Our big thing is getting tough.”
It’s a theme that has been woven through the fabric of the Falcons’ program for almost one-half of a century — going back to when the Jordan brothers were multi-time state championships. Jeff Jordan eventually returned to coach at the school, and the Falcons have been a standard-bearer ever since, producing the likes of Olympic gold medalist David Taylor.
The tradition continued Sunday as Crooks, Jake Hoke (165) and Cooper Breslin (113) earned first-place finishes, while second-place efforts were earned by Danny Hoke (190) and Logan Souders (215).
Given the fact that the four wrestlers other than Breslin are in similar weight classes, it’s safe to say that some of the state’s best matches might actually take place during Graham’s practice sessions. And, of course, facing that type of competition level every day ensures that each wrestling will continue to grow and improve from the experience.
“That helps a lot — iron sharpens iron,” Knott said. “We’re very blessed that these kids buy in at such a young age. We’ve got a really good culture and we want to help these young men do the right things, make the right choices and develop into men. If you concentrate on those things, the state titles and accolades will take care of themselves.”
And for any potential foe looking to find a way to unseat the Falcons from their 25-year throne, consider the fact that all five of the school’s state finalists Sunday were underclassmen.
“We don’t plan on going anywhere,” Knott said.
Said Crooks: “We have a brotherhood like no other. We know there are people who would like nothing more than to see us get beat. That just comes with it. We’ll just keep working.”