They grew up with wrestling, now 3 Bellefonte brothers are all part of Red Raiders’ lineup
While wrestling is very much an individual sport, there’s a strong team aspect to it, too.
When it comes to being part of a family, there is an individual and team aspect to that as well.
The sport of wrestling is a key piece in the lives of brothers Wyatt Long, Jackson Long and Gage Long, who are all in Bellefonte’s starting lineup this year. They each got their start in the sport at the age of 5, their father Shane said.
Gage, the oldest and now a senior for the Red Raiders, was first. Shane recalled that he came home one day with a flyer about wrestling, so they “took off from there.” Fraternal twins Wyatt and Jackson, who are freshmen, got started together.
Shane wrestled for Bellefonte growing up, and the boys’ mother, Raquel, was in high school during Bald Eagle Area’s stellar 1998 and 1999 seasons. She went on to say wrestling is her favorite sport.
“With us all being able to be together on match days, weekends and things like that, it definitely brings us a little closer together,” Shane said. “Especially nowadays, when everyone is going in different directions. In my own opinion, wrestling is probably the best sport out there. It shows you a lot of things that other sports don’t, like how commitment and hard work pay off.”
Growing up wrestling
One would think that with three boys all in wrestling, there had to be a few lamps replaced or holes in walls repaired. For the most part with the Long brothers, that wasn’t the case. Just one example came to mind.
Years ago, Wyatt and Jackson were wrestling around in the family’s garage — a makeshift wrestling room — when they got a little too carried away in their session and broke a light.
“We wrestled around a lot. It would get pretty intense. We would get into some scraps and stuff,” Wyatt said.
It took some time for the brothers to work up the courage to tell their parents what happened, Jackson said. The light was actually Gage’s.
“I was pretty upset about that, but at least they were wrestling, so I’ll let it slide,” he said. “We were always pretty good when we were wrestling. We were smart about keeping everything out of reach. If two brothers got at it, the one brother can keep it away from the valuables.”
As the three grew up in the sport, Shane was their youth coach before they got into Bellefonte’s program in junior high and now at the varsity level.
As for how he’s seen the boys grow from the time they first started wrestling, Shane said Wyatt was really aggressive, and Jackson was laid back. Now, they’ve flipped. Gage was a mix of both, he said, but was always even keeled. He feels that as time goes on Wyatt and Jackson will get that way too.
Pushing and teaching each other
Fast forward to present day.
It wasn’t a plan to have all three together on the varsity team at the same time, but it just happened to work out that way. About two years ago, they were talking about how special it might be for them all to compete at the varsity level, Shane said.
“It’s really special because I can push them in the room, and be with them,” Gage said, “teach them stuff that I learned all the way coming up through. They can know that before I learned that, so that’s an advantage. I stayed down in junior high in ninth grade. I think that was a big mistake because I could’ve been practicing up here even though I wouldn’t have started. It’s just a jump to be up here rather than junior high. I pushed for them to come up, and we needed them on the team, so now we are all here.”
For Wyatt, having his brothers in the room gives him a necessary push.
“Whenever I’m down, they are there to help me,” Wyatt said. “It is very special. I’m lucky to have two other brothers to wrestle with me.”
Jackson added: “I don’t even know how to explain it. I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s a great feeling. We bond. It makes me feel better having both of my brothers there for support, and also supporting both of them at the same time.”
The brothers are in Bellefonte’s starting lineup, and each are having a great year.
Wyatt wrestles at 107 pounds, but is usually giving up weight, according to Red Raiders coach Mike Maney, and had a 17-13 record before weekend wrestling got underway. Jackson wrestles anywhere from 121 pounds to 133 pounds, and has a 17-12 mark. Gage consistently goes out at 145 pounds, and holds a 27-9 record — 24 of those 27 wins are pins.
“He’s a big role model for Wyatt and I both,” Jackson said of Gage’s success. “There is a lot to learn from because he’s had a great year so far. It makes me feel a lot better having someone who is older like that to be there for us.”
Each gets nervous when they see another brother on the mat — feelings their mom and dad share to varying degrees. For Shane, when he sees one of his boys either looking to get a pin or in a spot that they may be getting pinned, he said he turns in his seat as if he was wrestling with them.
Raquel, however, is “a ball of nerves.”
“When you are watching your child on the mat, it is very nerve-wracking. I’m very competitive,” Raquel said, “so I can kind of get into the match, so sometimes I yell. Overall, after all the years of experience, it gets a little bit better.”
First and last season together drawing to a close
Maney said that it’s the first time having three siblings on the same team during his tenure.
One thing he and his staff keep an eye on is that the brothers don’t get too into the others’ matches. It’s not that he doesn’t want to see it, but that emotional energy could be used in their own match on the mat.
Maney also stresses that each brother should be their own wrestler. He’s had to have that same conversation with Ezra Swisher, another wrestler on the team whose brother Jude graduated last year.
“I never want to make comparisons. I want them to be their own individual, especially when you’re younger,” Maney explained, “you are trying to follow your older brother’s footsteps. I never want to put any extra pressure on anyone. I want them to be their own person, control their effort, control their work ethic and let the other stuff play (out).”
With the season slowly coming to an end, it means the three being able to compete alongside each other is also coming to an close, something they’re not looking forward to.
Gage said moments that have stuck out with him the most have been the times where they were all together at the team’s hotel during tournaments. If it was possible, he would’ve loved to have had them up last year.
The season ending also means that Raquel and Shane have only a few more times to cherish such a special part in their family’s lives and what the sport of wrestling has brought them.
And Raquel had one last message for her sons in their one and only season together.
“My hope for my boys is that they always be there for each other, and always know I am their No. 1 fan,” she said.
