"It's really just normal brother stuff that gets a little over the top."Īt the end of the day, however, they know they have each other's backs. "There’s a lot of arguing," Bradley Russ-Martin said. It has provided a beneficial competitive outlet for a family that can't get enough of it.īrooks Russ-Martin said while the two brothers are as close as two brothers can possibly be, even basketball games in the driveway can result in serious trash talk between the two. Even as it relates to football, which we hope they can play in college next year, it helps them stay prepared."īrooks and Bradley Russ-Martin said they could tell their father was ecstatic when they decided to try wrestling. My grandparents always told me that if I was playing a sport that was fine if not, you’re going to work. "It’s probably been better for me than for them," he said. "It’s a mindset. Throughout the long weekends at tournaments and late weeknights at dual meets, he said he has been able to bond with his sons in a new way. Henderson has let Russ help out on the coaching staff, which has meant spending even more time with his sons. "I think there’s a lot of life lessons in every sport, especially with wrestling and to see them get those, learn and go through some growing pains and share that with them has been great." "Of course I was excited just to have the opportunity to share something with them that I was passionate about. "I don’t know if you want to call it luck, but the basketball team went in a different direction," he said, smiling. More: Greenville high school wrestling programs grapple with issue of competing during pandemic His kids' loves were football and basketball, but when it became apparent that basketball wasn't going to happen he saw an opportunity. Henderson said that the Russ-Martin twins took to wrestling very easily, and looking at who their father is might lend clues as to why that would be.Ĭharles Russ won a state championship at Wade Hampton in 1998 in the 135-pound class before going to wrestle for Army-West Point. While his kids were growing up, Russ said he didn't want to pressure them to wrestle just because he had found success with the sport. "They’re good students, they don’t get in trouble, they’re all around good kids," he said. "When you get kids like that, it really helps to build up the overall program." Family ties He also said the way the twins carry themselves off the mat has been the best advertising for a program that started with seven wrestlers when Henderson took over and now has close to 40. If you want to be a tougher football player, you should really wrestle." "If you really want to play football well, wrestling is a sport you should naturally lean towards when you’re not playing football," Henderson said. "It’s a contact sport, footwork, agility, strength, mental toughness. More: Wrestling coaches split about SCHSL plan to reduce field for individual state tournamentīoth players are defensive backs for the Travelers Rest football team and hope to play football in college, Henderson and the twins pointed out that wrestling has carried over to the football field. Travelers Rest coach Ted Henderson said he's not usually happy when kids get cut from teams, but he saw the opportunity not only to help his program but also help the Russ-Martin twins. "I wouldn’t have it any other way," Bradley Russ-Martin said. "It was hard, but we just put in a lot of work and eventually got to where we are now." Brooks Russ-Martin finished second in the Class AAAA state tournament at 145 while Bradley Russ-Martin was third at 138. "It was the best thing that happened to me," Brooks Russ-Martin said of the basketball experience. "When I got cut, I was mad at first, but I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing, so that’s how wrestling started."Īfter struggling during their sophomore seasons, both had breakout wrestling seasons last year that validated the decision to pursue the sport. Bradley Russ-Martin, battling a shore shoulder, finished fifth in the 138-pound weight class. On Saturday, Brooks Russ-Martin accepted the trophy for the 152-pound weight class title at the Greenville County Wrestling Tournament. The identical twins didn't let themselves wallow in their disappointment, and now that they're seniors they have seen the decision made by the basketball program for what it is. Although their main sport for the Devildogs is football, basketball had been part of their lives since they were 6 years old. View Gallery: Photos: Russ-Martin twins excel for Travelers Rest wrestlingĭuring their sophomore year at Travelers Rest High, twins Bradley Russ-Martin and Brooks Russ-Martin were informed that they had both been cut from the basketball team.ĭisappointed, the twins looked for what to do next.
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