The county's best wrestlers: No. 9, Brad Wright
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Fairfield High School's Brad Wright is one of the few wrestlers in the Sweat 16 who not only made it to state as a freshman, but also placed.
But Wright's plan of climbing the steps of the podium each year didn't quite work out when the four-time state qualifier went 0-2 as a sophomore and 0-1 as a junior.
Extras
Those back-to-back empty trips put a lot of pressure on Wright his senior year. But Wright, in turn, put a lot of pressure on his opponents and rolled to the 1995 Division I 119-pound state championship with a perfect 33-0 season.
"The first thing I remember is what a big, huge relief it was to win," Wright said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself, and it was nice to finally get a title under my belt."
Wright beat Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit's Frank Favaro 11-7 in the championship match to cap a 120-16 career. Those 120 wins rank fourth in the prestigious history of Fairfield wrestling.
Wright saw that history up close and personal every day in practice, drilling against four-time state champion and 1994 FHS grad Willie Wineberg.
"I grew up with Willie, so Willie made me the wrestler I was," Wright said. "He always pushed me, and I feel like I pushed him."
Wright currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife Alison and works for National City Bank in the IT department. He's also a volunteer coach at Fairfield.
