Brothers Jr. Wins Gold in Virginia | News, Sports, Jobs
Photo by Kim North
Erick Brothers Jr. wears his national championship t-shirt and has his All-American medal around his neck after competing for Team Shutt last weekend at the NHSCA Wrestling Duals in Virginia Beach.
The Wheeling Park three-time state champion went 9-2.
WHEELING – Wheeling Park senior-to-be Erick Brothers Jr. is gaining considerable experience that hopefully leads him to being the Patriots first four-time West Virginia Class AAA getstate wrestling champion next winter.
Competing for Team Shutt Matty S, a wrestling all star dual team founded by former scholastic wrestler, now professional MMA fighter, Blaine “The Shuttdown” Shutt, Brothers Jr. won a Gold medal as the talent-ladened team captured the NHSCA Duals inside the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
“It feels great to be part of a national championship team,” Brothers Jr. said. “It was definitely a fun experience to be a part of the team. There were some guys that are going to big (NCAA D-I) colleges that I hope to see at the next level down the road.”
The team went 11-0 in the high school division and none of the matches were close.
The team had wrestlers from 10 different states. Brothers went 9-2, with both reversals coming to nationally ranked and NCAA Division I recruits.
His first loss was to a PIAA state champion Mac Stout (Mount Lebanon H.S./Team Quest) 12-4 Stout is committed to the University of Pitt and is the third-ranked wrestler at 195 nationally. The second loss was to Ok
lahoma state champion Jersey Robb (Team Beast of the East), who is committed to Oklahoma State University and is ranked No. 18 in the country at 195.
“There are definitely things I can learn from those matches,” he said. “After my match with Stout, there were people telling me to get in a better stance and keep my feet moving. Overall, I think my performance was pretty good.”
The exposure part is also huge, according to Brothers Jr.
“There is never a match that you are going to wrestle that isn’t against good competition,” he stressed. “There are also a lot of college coaches around.”
When asked about his upcoming college decision, Brothers was reluctant to release many details.
“I’m keeping my options open at this point, but one day we will make a big decision,” he said.
He did divulge, however, that he’d like to get it over with before the 2022-23 season begins in December.
“I’m getting a good amount of looks,” he said.
