Grace reaches goal, hits 100 career wins

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Not many high school wrestling programs can say they have two 100-win wrestlers on the same squad, especially with a still relatively new program. However, Crestview High School can make that claim.

Senior Levi Grace, who wrestles in the 150-pound weight class, joined the 100-win club during the recent Ada Invitational. He joins classmate Gavin Grubb, who accomplished the feat earlier this season, during the Parkway Invitational.

“Reaching the 100-win mark was one of my top goals,” Grace said. “I had been looking forward to it for a while. There is a lot of competition between Gavin and I. It’s just how we’ve always been and you can bet that the race to 100 was a big competition between us.”

The Crestview varsity wrestling program made its debut four years ago. Before that, the team competed at the JV or club level and of course, there was the biddy wrestling program. Looking back, Grace noted he’s been involved with Crestview wrestling for seven years.

“I was told about the program right when it started up,” Grace explained. “The coach said he had my name in mind when starting the program and so I’ve been with coach Sawmiller for a whole seven years. I gave it a shot and it just stuck with me. Everything just came so naturally which made it hard to leave.”

“My time with Levi goes back to when I coached his little sister in soccer when she was six,” head coach Jake Sawmiller said. “I saw Levi hanging around after a practice and I saw so much natural athleticism in him at first glance. I had to convince his mom a bit to get him to come in and try and we actually expanded our first year of club an additional grade level to get both Levi and Gavin to do it. That has paid off well for the program and both of those young boys.”

“When Aaron (assistant coach Aaron LaTurner) and I started working with these kids, we just wanted to give another option for our students to be able to compete,” Sawmiller continued. “To now fast forward to this season, I’m in disbelief. You could never have asked for a greater group of kids to spark this program. To see both Levi and Gavin hit this mark together as seniors is something we never even thought about being possible when we started this.”

“When you look around at the local tournaments, it’s your state qualifiers, state placers, three-time conference champions that are being presented a 100-win banner. Levi and Gavin are that good and they’ve proven it time and time again knocking off state ranked kids multiple times a season. It’s a proud moment as a coach for sure, but I’m more happy to see each of these boys set a goal, work hard and achieve it. They each wanted that bad and it was the first goal they mentioned when we met with them one on one to start the season.”

Grace (30-8 this season) said one of the best things about the Crestview wrestling program is the bond between its members.

“My teammates are great people inside and outside the wrestling room,” he stated. “I couldn’t ask for better partners in the practice room. After spending so much time with these boys, they become like brothers to me. One thing I like best about my teammates is how they push to make me a better wrestler.”

While getting dozens of wins on the mat, Sawmiller said Grace brings a top notch work ethic to the sport, a work ethic that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Levi’s sportsmanship and hard work stand out to me the most even more than the success he’s had on the match,” Sawmiller said. “Now that this program is functioning from the bottom up, there are a lot of little eyes watching him and he understands that. He handles every match with such grace and professionalism no matter the outcome and that’s setting the stage for the type of team we want to have every year.”

“He’s a kid that doesn’t make excuses,” the coach added. “Even when us coaches get frustrated with a point in a match, he’s the first one to say ‘sorry coach, I’ll do better next time.’ The respect that he has for his teammates, coaches, teachers, administration and parents is second to none. He doesn’t only focus on himself, he wants others to succeed and he’s proud of our underclassmen and the progress they’re making. That right there tells you how good of a kid Levi is and the contribution he’s making to set the stage for what Crestview wrestling is all about.”

The 150-pound weight class is one of the more challenging ones and with 100 wins (now 101) in his back pocket, Grace, who holds the school record for takedowns, has his sights set on the NWC meet and more.

“The last goal I have yet to complete is making a state run,” Grace said. “I know it’s possible but it’s going to be hard. Just to make it out of sectionals is going to be tough. I’ve looked forward to it for four years now.”