Four brothers, 13 state wrestling tournament appearances and counting
SIDNEY, Mont. (BVM) 鈥� The Graves family has wrestling in their blood. The four boys, Ethan, Kade, Aden and Reece, have wrestled since the age of 4 and their hard work has not gone unnoticed.
鈥淓than, Kade and Aden are all four-time state placers,鈥� Erin Graves, the boys鈥� mother, said. 鈥淓than was 3rd, 2nd, 2nd and 4th. Kade was 3rd, 4th, 3rd and state champion.鈥�
Aden and Reece have added to that number. Aden, a senior at Sidney High School, captured his fourth individual state title this year. He also helped his team secure their fifth consecutive team title.聽
Not to be outdone by his brothers, Reece, a freshman at Sidney High School, wrestled in his first state championship, taking home his first individual state title this year.
Their father and assistant coach, Ty Graves, couldn鈥檛 be more proud.
鈥淲e are most proud of our boys for the hard work that they put in, not only in the wrestling room but also the classroom,鈥� Ty said. 鈥淭hey put in the work to be successful. Also their personal maturity to work through tough losses but to be humble with the wins and willing to learn from both.鈥�
For Aden and Reece, wrestling on the same team was an experience they will never forget.
鈥淲e have been wrestling together for a long time, but the idea of being on the same high school team is special,鈥� Aden said. 鈥淣ot a lot of brothers get the opportunity to win state titles together.鈥�
鈥淗aving our dad as one of the coaches is special, too,鈥� Reece said. 鈥淲e have a pretty strong bond and have a lot of experiences together that a lot of brothers don’t get. It is nice to have a brother in your corner helping and giving you pointers of how to get better.鈥�
Aden is looking forward to the next chapter of his life following graduation in May. His oldest brother, Ethan, works in Sidney for Richland County Public Works and is a coach for middle school wrestling. He also volunteers as a coach for the high school. Kade is a United States Marine who graduated from boot camp in February and is at Camp Pendleton in California.聽聽
鈥淸I] plan to wrestle in college but not sure where yet,鈥� Aden said. 鈥淚 hope to make that decision here in the next few weeks.鈥�
While Aden is hanging up his high school wrestling shoes and looking to make the jump to college, Reece is just getting started. He will look to continue the legacy his brothers started as he works to wrestle his way into the state tournament for the remaining seasons of his high school career.聽
鈥淸I want to] win three more state championships and then go to college,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot sure if I want to wrestle at the next level yet.鈥�
Both Aden and Reece are thankful for the support they鈥檝e received both on and off the mat, especially from head coach Guy Melby.聽
鈥淥ur coaching staff is great!鈥� Aden said. 鈥淕uy Melby is always learning and making himself a better coach which makes us better wrestlers. Our coaches are willing to go to any camp or tournaments to get us more mat time. They also support us in our other sports. They are always at football games or at our track meets.鈥�
Erin and Ty are proud of how well rounded both Aden and Reece are outside of wrestling.
鈥淭hey are willing to give back to the sport,鈥� Erin said. 鈥淭hey are both active in our AAU club. They give back by helping with coaching or reffing. They know a lot of the little guys by name and follow how they do at tournaments.鈥�
鈥淭hey are in general really good kids,鈥� Ty said. 鈥淭here is more to them than just wrestling or sports. They will battle kids on the mat but can come off and still be very personable. They have worked really hard for what they have accomplished and nothing is handed to them.鈥�
Watch for the Graves boys to keep making an impact, whether that be on the wrestling mat or out in the world.