Family. A unit of people who love and support one another no matter the obstacles each may face. It’s what holds people together and pushes them to challenge personal limits. Family is what drives Sophomore wrestler Brock Mears to want to succeed in wrestling, in school, and in life. 

Brock has a long history of wrestling within his immediate family. His father and now coach, Mark Mears, wrestled Division 1 at Lockhaven University and his older brother, Tyler, better known as “Tank,” wrestled Division 2 at the Colorado School of Mines. Their accomplishments have proven to Brock that his hard work and dedication will earn him a future in the sport of wrestling.

During this 2023 season, life has thrown a lot of obstacles Brock’s way. The first week into the year, Brock’s mother suffered from some scary health issues that placed her in the hospital. This took his father’s focus and presence away from coaching the wrestling team to supporting his wife when she needed it most. 

Hempfield versus Latrobe, a huge match of the season, a necessary win for the Latrobe Wildcats. Without his father on the mats, Brock knew “it was time for him to step up.” Brock and the team had “a long, tough week” without the presence of his coach and father.  “We all, as a team, grew a lot closer that week without my dad coaching us and the team really got me through that week by being my family and supporting me,” said Brock. 

An influential and emotional win of the night by Brock Mears wrestling at the 189 weight class by pinning Hempfield senior Logan Wolfe. Brock said, “I went out and got the pin for my mom, it was all dedicated to her.” After an emotional night, the Wildcats pulled through and brought home a win with a score of 45-28.

 Brock learned that the support of a family does not just come from blood relatives, but also his teammates.

 Reflecting on that week and specifically that night, Brock said, “There was a lot of love coming from a lot of different people.” That love and support from his family of teammates got him through that tough week, especially the guidance from the upperclassmen. “This team is my family, they’re the best guys I could ever ask to be around everyday, I love them all like brothers,” said Brock. 

Being a young sophomore on the team and having to face some older, more experienced wrestlers in the WPIAL, Brock expected the season to be difficult. His mentality at the beginning of the season was struggling through the mental aspect of wrestling and life in general. “I just didn’t believe in myself,” said Brock. 

Getting through this season has not necessarily been easy, but he put in a tremendous amount of off-season training, pushing himself, striving for greatness. Brock said, “I want to be the best I can be and that can only be done by putting in extra work.” With his dedication, his obstacles in life haven’t affected his ability to win matches.

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Giovanna Jones

Mears coming out on top with an essential win against section rivals, The Connellsville Falcons

Brock currently sits at a season record of 5 wins including 2 impressive pins. At the Hempfield match, all the pieces fell into place and after, Brock realized he is capable of more than he ever imagined. His confidence and personal mindset grew as the season progressed. From the guidance of seniors Corey Boerio, Vinny Kilkeary, and Wyatt Schmucker, Brock now has found true role models and mentors from the leaders of his team. These are brothers who Brock looks up to and aspires to follow their footsteps one day. 

He believes in his team’s ability to rewrite the history books for Greater Latrobe Wrestling. Brock’s goals for his team are to make a really deep run in the postseason chasing after the Section and WPIAL ring to become the first ever wrestling team to do so at Latrobe. With a current record of 6 wins and 2 losses, the Wildcats are more than capable of accomplishing these goals.

Finding confidence in himself and his hard work, he would “really like to qualify for the WPIAL tournament,” said Brock. He has big hopes and plans for his future in wrestling including competing at the Division 1 college level someday and making it to the NCAA Tournament. 

With his hard work, passion, dedication, and heart Brock Mears will surely accomplish any and all his goals in life and wrestling.