Wyatt twins push one another
Published 9:48 pm Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Gabe and Alijah Wyatt have made strides this season they hope can pay off starting this week.
Twins are often inseparable, and things are no different with the Wyatt brothers. The King’s Fork High School juniors do pretty much everything together. Right now, they are in the process of hoping to do some good things this postseason for the Bulldogs wrestling team.
They have their eyes set on state championships, and they want to use their adversity as motivation to achieve it. It all started last postseason, when neither of the twins performed up to their own expectations.
It was their first year ever wrestling on any level. At the end of their freshman year, they talked about going out for the wrestling team. They wanted to compete in a sport where both of them could win individually. Both had interests in mixed martial arts and boxing, so wrestling was the perfect fit. Their sophomore seasons left a lot of growth for the Wyatt brothers to achieve.
“We have improved a lot since last season,” Alijah said. “We are always learning and growing. It’s been awesome wrestling with each other. He is my partner every practice, and we always push each other.”
The twins came into this season stronger, with eyes set on being better. However, it didn’t come without a price. Both brothers have suffered injuries that set them back. Alijah suffered a broken hand, while Gabe suffered a high ankle sprain. They did rehab together and came back stronger just in time for the regional tournament, which starts Thursday. Coach Jason Dunaway admired the way they worked together and pushed each other constantly.
“Injuries are tough,” Gabe said. “They can bring your confidence down. You just have to deal with them and push through, and that’s what we have done.”
“We’ve overcome some tough stuff, but I feel like we come back better and better each time,” Alijah said. “Injuries happen so when they do, we find ways to get better, even if it just means lifting.”
Gabe wrestles at 145, while Alijah wrestles at 132. They will compete in a talented Class 4 Region A tournament. The advice given to them by their coach is that the regular season doesn’t matter in the playoffs. They may have lost to the same opponent previously, but this is a new match.
“Coach just says to take things one step at a time,” Alijah said. “We just want to advance.”
Regardless of the outcome, the Wyatt brothers are looking at a promising season next year.