Wrestler Lang forges his own identity at Brecksville
Pat Galbincea
Plain Dealer Reporter
Competing in a sport in which an older brother won four state titles at a fabled program is a tough task for a high school wrestler.
That challenge first confronted Brecksville sophomore Kyle Lang while he was in elementary school. His older brother, Ryan, became the state’s second Division I four-time state champ in 2001 while competing at St. Edward.
Would Kyle Lang attend St. Edward and try to duplicate his brother’s great feat? Or would he attend his neighborhood school and try to escape from Ryan’s shadow?
To the delight of Bees wrestling coach Todd Haverdill, the younger Lang chose Brecksville. Not only did Haverdill get a blue-chip wrestler who placed fourth in the state at 103 pounds last year as a freshman, but Lang also has helped turn a losing program into a winner.
“Let’s face it, we’re a public school with no open enrollment, and we have never got a transfer student in my six years here,” Haverdill said. “He’s a welcome addition, believe me. Kyle wrestles year-round, and with his extensive youth experience, he’s part of a blueprint of what you need to have a successful program.
“Kids like Kyle, Pat Zamaria [119-pound senior], Ryan Marks [125-pound junior], Mike Pushpak [189-pound senior] and Jim Nemunaitis [215-pound senior] have turned our program around. Our youth wrestlers look up to them. They see their success and they want to emulate it.”
Brecksville is ranked third in The Plain Dealer’s Top 25 poll. The Bees are 3-0 in dual meets. They placed 14th among 79 teams in the nationally renowned Beast of the East Tournament in Wilmington, Del., and finished second in their strong holiday tournament.
“To think that Brecksville was so bad three years ago, we almost got kicked out of our own tournament,” said Lang, then a seventh-grader. “It’s true. We were 40th out of 45 teams, close to last place. Still, I felt I should go to Brecksville High School after junior high. I told my parents how I felt, and they said it was my decision. St. Edward was upset I didn’t go there, but there were basically four reasons why I didn’t.”
The first reason, Lang said, was he liked Haverdill the first time he met him in the eighth grade. Lang said he saw that Haverdill was a good coach and a good technician who was dedicated to reviving the Bees’ wrestling program.
Second, the Eagles had a vaunted freshman last year, Collin Palmer, who competed at a similar weight. Palmer, however, grew to 112 pounds, whereas Lang stayed at 103. Palmer easily won the Division I state title last winter and is favored to win at 125 this season.
“Palmer got bigger than me, but anyone in his weight class at St. Ed is going to sit on the bench,” Lang said. “It takes a special wrestler to beat him.”
Another reason Lang went to his public school was because all of his friends also are there. The final reason concerned academics.
“Brecksville is excellent academically, and I’m a good student who likes math and history,” Lang said.
Lang has looked good in the two years he has wrestled for Brecksville, but he has yet to win a major tournament ” though he has come close.
Last year at state, his losses were to Dan Genetin of Massillon Perry in the semifinals, 11-8, and Bo Touris of Lakota West for third place, 7-4.
Lang was third at December’s Beast of the East, winning six matches. His lone loss was a 7-5 decision to Chris Villalonga of heralded Blair Academy (N.J.) in the semifinals. Lang reached the finals of the Brecksville Tournament before losing, 3-1, to Touris. Lang beat defending state champ Steve Mitcheff of Elyria, 6-4, in the semifinals.
“Little mistakes hurt me,” Lang said. “I hesitated on a shot against [Villalonga] and he took me down. At Brecksville, Touris faked me. I reached and he took me down with a double leg. I realize I have to work harder and get in extra workouts, and check with our coaches about my technique and what I did wrong.
“My goals this year were to win the Beast, win Brecksville and win state. I obviously fell short on the first two, so I’m hoping that first title is coming sooner than later.”
One veteran referee who believes Lang will become a state champ is Terry Armelli, who has officiated for 27 years.
“I remember Ryan Lang was a little unorthodox,” Armelli said. “Kyle is a little more conventional. I won’t be surprised if he wins state. He’s wrestled well against some tough opponents. I admire that he wants to make his own mark in this sport.”
Ryan Lang is now a senior at Northwestern and rated the nation’s No. 1 141-pounder by Amateur Wrestling News.
There’s only one time Lang has followed Ryan, and that was in youth tournaments.
Their father, Bill, who was third in the state at 126 pounds for Class A-AA Brooklyn in 1973, was their chaperone.
“Ryan got involved with wrestling at age 4, and as I got older, I tagged along,” Kyle Lang said. “When I got to be 4, dad finally let me wrestle. I was so happy just to wrestle. I still watch the very first match I ever wrestled on tape.
“Today I watch a lot of Ryan’s college matches on video and he watches mine. We critique each other. He uses legs on the mat more, I use tilts. I also think I’m more physical, he’s more the technician. I used to have a bad temper, but I’m not nearly as mean as I was. Still, I want to have the attitude that nobody can beat me.”
Kyle Lang said he also enjoys being part of Brecksville’s wrestling renaissance.
“Our middle-school program has been upgraded, and last year they had a pretty good year,” he said. “Those kids are now freshmen ” Tony Bucca [103], Charlie Packard [130], Josh Linden [140] and Jayme Robinson [heavyweight] ” and they are continuing to improve.
“I’m happy with my situation. I’m on a good team with good people. This is something I enjoy.”
Wrestling Gear
