Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE -ÊWrestlers are a different breed. Some of the strongest athletes in the sporting world, wrestlers compete as individuals but must rely on the team for success.
Wawasee is a team that knows how to utilize individuals to achieve that success, and when you walk into its auxiliary gym, you can't help but notice the wrestling record board on the wall.
Of course, almost all schools have similar boards, but not all schools have a majority of the spaces filled within the past few years by three brothers.
The Carr brothers, Darrell, Jason and Kevin, have become a legacy in the high school wrestling world. Not only do the brothers wrestle, but their father, Darrell Carr Sr., coaches as well.
The Carrs have been wrestling since they were young, and their father has coached them as a one-year volunteer and as an assistant for the past few years at Wawasee High School.
"I've been wrestling since I was in fifth grade, so I guess it's been seven or eight years now," said Kevin. "Darrell practiced one day before Jason and I did, and we went to all of the practices while he (Darrell) wrestled.
"We all started around the same time. We wrestle all the time and go over things. At home we study wrestling and view it."
Kevin, the youngest of the Carr brothers, is now a senior at Wawasee, while Jason and Darrell attend Manchester College. In his years at Wawasee, Kevin has won four individual sectional titles, and Wawasee has won four team sectionals.
Now Kevin is preparing to lead the Warriors into battle for the team regional title in Churubusco tonight. Then Saturday he will compete in the individual regional in the 160-pound weight class.
"Kevin's work ethic is amazing,"# said Wawasee head coach Kevin Taylor. "Kevin looks at every practice as a learning experience, a chance to refine his technique. That's what makes him successful."
Kevin is undefeated this year with a 29-0 record, and he holds a career record of 154-15.
"He's a good role model for the younger guys and the older guys as well," said Taylor. "He works hard, and that hard work has paid off."
That hard work has help lead Wawasee the four sectional titles as well as regional titles the past two years. The Warriors won a semistate title in 1997 when Kevin was a sophomore.
"It's always tougher each year," said Kevin. "But there are always new things you can learn."
Remember that record board? Kevin already holds two spots: most takedowns (193) in 1998, and a tie for single-season wins (44) in 1998 with his brother, Jason. After this season he will have two more spots on the board, the four-year record that his brother Darrell now holds, and four sectional titles (another tie with Jason).
Along with the four-year record (149-16), Darrell holds the record for most falls in a season (30) in 1997. Jason holds the records for career falls (75), regional titles (three), and state titles (one).
Kevin Carr and the Wawasee team will battle Carroll (Allen) tonight at 6 in Churubusco at the team regional. If they win, they will face the winner of the Bishop Luers-Fort Wayne Northrop match. The winner of that match will move on to the semistate in Bellmont.
Warsaw, the only other area team still alive in the team competition, wrestles Jimtown at 6 p.m. The winner will compete against the Goshen-Fremont match winner.
