H-S Athlete of the Week: Elijah Brown, Belle Vernon
Name: Elijah Brown
School: Belle Vernon
Class: Senior
Sport: Wrestling
Brown’s week: The Leopards’ 215-pounder plowed his way through the bracket to win the Escape the Rock tournament last Saturday at Council Rock South High School in Holland.
Brown won all five of his matches in decisive fashion with four pins and one technical fall. He pinned his first three opponents in the first period before earning a 16-0 technical fall in 1:48 to advance to the finals, where he pinned Nicholas Gonzalez of Mount Olive, N.J., in 46 seconds.
Brown was ready to pack his bags and head back home when he was informed he couldn’t go home just yet, which turned out to be something special, as he was voted on as the tournament’s “Outstanding Wrestler.” Brown also had the most falls in the event.
“I didn’t even think about it (being named the “Outstanding Wrestler” until my coach told me I had to stay because I was in the running,” Brown said. “There were a few guys in my bracket that were ranked nationally, so it was a good feeling to be able to do so well. I feel like I am wrestling at my best right now, but I know guys are going to be giving me their best.”
Sudden change: Brown, and all involved at Escape the Rock, were thrown a curve ball Saturday, as the two-day event was condensed into one due to the threat of inclement weather.
When he first heard the news, Brown thought it was a joke.
“After my round-of-16 match, I was ready to take a nap while my dad was getting me some food,” Brown said. “He came back and told me what happened, and I thought he was joking. I asked three other people to confirm. It was crazy, especially considering the size of the tournament. I had 33 people in my bracket.”
Had the tournament run as scheduled, Brown would have wrestled his quarterfinals match Saturday evening before opening up with the semifinals on Sunday morning, but he has never been one to let what he can’t control dictate how he competes.
“I do my best when I am relaxed and composed,” Brown said. “I just wrestle my match and move on. If you see me at a tournament, I am usually sleeping. Obviously, when it’s time to wrestle, I get going, but I really focus on staying relaxed and not letting anything get to me.”
Familiar foe: Brown and Kiski Area’s Cooper Roscosky have wrestled half-a-dozen times, and chances are the two will meet again this Saturday in the Fred Bell Tournament at Grove City High School.
Brown has won six bouts against Roscosky, including a 4-3 decision in the state finals last year for his first PIAA Class 3A championship. Two of the matches Brown won by 4-0 decisions before winning the WPIAL title, 6-4, and the Western Regional, 1-0.
Brown earned his first dominant victory over Roscosky at this year’s WCCA tournament with a 10-0 major decision on Jan. 10.
“Winning that match by a major decision was big because all the other matches have been so close,” Brown said. “I will probably wrestle him a seventh time, and then a few more times after that, but it’s exciting.”
Leason learned: As solid as he has been this season, Brown has one blemish on his record, as he dropped a 10-8 decision to DuBois’ Kendahl Hoare on Dec. 6 at the Trinity Duals in Brown’s third match of the season.
Brown has gone on a 20-match winning streak following the setback to Hoare. He has won 14 of those bouts by fall, two by technical fall and two by forfeit. Brown has a season record of 22-1 and an overall mark of 149-20.
Brown’s closest victory past the major decision over Roscosky was a 17-13 victory over Owen J. Roberts’ Decker Bechtold in the semifinals of the MyHouse Trojans Wars on Dec. 28 at Chambersburg High School.
Brown lost his lone match of the season last year to Ringgold’s Jake Conroy, 14-10, in double overtime. He never lost again during his junior campaign.
Brown didn’t compete in any offseason tournaments, as he tore his lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his state final match, which took away some mat time, but helped him recover fully.
He also believes the loss to Hoare helped him refocus.
“Coming off my injury, that was my first big match this season,” Brown said. “My cardio wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I am really grateful for having that when I did. It was similar to my match last year against Jake Conroy.”
From leopard to lion: Brown didn’t compete this offseason, but he was definitely busy, at least when it comes to his college commitment, as he decommitted from the University of Pittsburgh to accept an offer from Penn State University, who has won 12 of the last 14 national titles, and appear to be on their way to a 13th in 15 seasons.
“It is awesome that I’ll get to be a part of that program,” Brown said. “I can’t imagine how much I’ll be able to improve as a wrestler and person at Penn State.”