KYLE SMEDLEY
FOR THE HERALD BULLETIN
FAIRMOUNT – Nearly 50% of the Madison-Grant wrestling program is made up of duos who share last names. The VanMatres, the Howards, the Aults, the Hendeys and the Wilsons. From seniors to freshman and managers to coaches, head coach Jakob Wilson said no matter what someone’s role is on the Argylls, everyone involved makes up one big family. No one involved with the team knows the importance of family more than Jakob, who coaches alongside his father, James.
“There’s some growing pains, but the best thing about the role is that I get to spend the time with him,” Jakob said.
Traditional stereotypes when it comes to the older members of a family holding higher positions of power are thrown out the window in the program, and James has no problem taking a back seat to his son.
“I’ve been his boss for 25 years, basically, but now he’s my boss,” James said. “I wouldn’t want to coach under anybody else other than my son.”
The duo yelled out essentially the same instructions as they sat less than five feet away from the outer edge of the wrestling mat while Madison-Grant squared off against Eastern Hancock
Richard Sitler | The Herald Bulletin
Wednesday evening. During an early varsity match, James even put Jakob in a full nelson to demonstrate what the Argyll straining for victory needed to do to defeat his opponent.
After about an hour of action, Madison-Grant beat the Royals 45-28 in a night that belonged to the younger family members of almost every pair represented by the Argylls.
Freshman Carson Hendey won his 113-pound boys’ match against Royals freshman Ezekiel Fish via pinfall in the second round. His older brother, senior Aiden Hendey, lost via pinfall in the second round of his 150pound match against Eastern Hancock junior Hunter Survant.
Carson’s match came before Aiden’s, and the first round was mostly in Fish’s control. The wiry freshman knew he had to take a risk if he wanted a shot at winning the second round.
“When I got up and I had to overhook an underhook, I was kind of nervous because I had never done it before,” Carson said.
He executed the move to perfection, much to the delight of Aiden, who sat mere feet away from the mat as he prepared himself for his match later in the evening.
“I jumped out of my seat, and I started yelling,” Aiden said. “Teaching him everything and seeing him actually use that stuff is such a good feeling.”
The elder brother said his 150-pound match was lost due to poor conditioning on his part. Although Carson was there on the sidelines ready to comfort Aiden, a smirk crossed Carson’s face when he was asked if he gave Aiden any grief about losing his match.
“Maybe a little bit,” Carson said.
In more sibling action, Royals junior Libby Fish pinned Argylls junior Patricia VanMatre in the second round of a
girls’ varsity match. Later in the evening, Madison-Grant freshman Calvin VanMatre beat Eastern Hancock junior George Hunt via pinfall in the second round of their 165-pound boys’ match.
Freshman Josie Howard is a manager for the Argylls, and she watched her brother, junior Grant Howard, pin Royals senior Boaz Dixon within the first two minutes of the 157-pound boys’ match. As for the Aults, junior manager Anna’s freshman brother Angus did not compete.
In other results, Madison- Grant junior Elizabeth Winches pinned Eastern Hancock junior Savannah Barrett in the second round of the other girls’ varsity match. Although Winches is not joined by any family in the program, she could not wipe the smile off her face after celebrating her victory with the rest of the Argylls.
“We talk a lot about how hard this sport is, and it’s truly a grinder,” Jakob said. “You got to be able to rely on the people around you from a support standpoint, because it’ll eat you alive if you don’t.”
Argylls junior Aydin Bugby lost to Royals senior Gabriel Johnson by decision in the 190-pound boys’ match. Madison-Grant freshman Carson Chandler pinned Eastern Hancock sophomore Chayse Mix in the second round of the 120-pound boys’ match. In the 126pound boys’ match, Argylls freshman Ethan Spence won against Royals freshman Jason Cook Jr. via pinfall.
In the final varsity match of the evening, Madison-Grant sophomore Sawyer Stepp won the 175-pound boys’ match by decision against Eastern Hancock senior Wyatt Walker.
It was a successful evening for the Argylls on the mat, but Jakob still commanded each Madison-Grant wrestler’s attention as the squad met in a post-match huddle. James joked that he plays the role of “good cop” while his son operates as “bad cop,” a switch Jakob claimed is easy to turn on and off due to his role as a teacher at Madison-Grant High
School.
Just like having a family member alongside the Wilsons to ease the pressures that face a high school coach, having a brother close by after each match makes one of the most physicallydemanding sports more palatable for the Hendeys. However, the Wilsons want the 11 Argylls in the program who don’t have a relative to join them to still feel like part of a collective whole.
“I don’t care if you guys like each other or not, but in here we will get along,” James said. “We’re a family.”