BRUSH PRAIRIE — When Rob Smith took over Prairie wrestling 15 years ago, there were 12 kids in the mat room.
There was “no work ethic, no drive, no desire,” Smith said.
Two years ago at Prairie High, Kelso rolled to a 77-0 win in the team’s dual match. Boy, have things changed in a hurry.
On Wednesday, in a thrilling, back-and-forth dual, the Falcons toppled the five-time consecutive league champion Kelso 42-33 to earn the school’s first league wrestling title.
“It takes my breath away,” Smith said, choking back tears. “To watch these kids grow and to develop, to believe in themselves … I owe it all to them. I just get to be here to watch the show.”
Brody Schlaefli (285 pounds) set the stage early with a second-round pin of Kelso’s Brady Phillips. Noah Larsen (120), Jason Wilcox (145) and Zach Brown (152) all earned pins as well.
But with the match hanging in the balance, Prairie leading 36-27 with two bouts left, Easton Lane clinched it with a reversal and quick pin.
When Lane was on his back against Michael Hause, it could have spelled defeat for the Falcons and their league-title hopes. Instead, it was a quick 12-point swing in the second round. Lane let out a roar and the team rejoiced.
“Toward the end of the second round, I heard him breathing heavy,” Lane said. “I just thought, ‘This is what we run for; this is what we train for.’”
It’s been an arduous journey for the Falcons’ wrestling program. But Wednesday showed they’ve finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
And if Lane and Schlaefli — both juniors have anything to say about it, Prairie is far from done yet.
“Going forward, we’re going to try to get as many as possible,” Schlaefli said. “It’s going to be the goal from now on.”
For Smith, it was a message to the wrestling community that Prairie is here to stay.
“Prairie has never been recognized as a wrestling school,” Smith said. “We just wanted to let the state know that Prairie wrestling is for real. When we step into a gym, you better be ready because we’re coming after you.”
