Clearview brothers Michael and Matthew Hollingsworth found a way to become two of the top wrestlers in the Patriot Athletic Conference, despite taking up the sport just a little more than two years ago.

Most coaches agree that time on the mat and as many tough matches as you can find are what turn an average wrestler into a great wrestler. The twins have found those tough matches — against each other.

“We say, ‘No hits in the face,’” Matthew said of the lone rule at practice.

“They need to be split up many times, because they just go at it,” Clippers coach Jason Steadman said. “They don’t give each other anything. Watching these two go at it in the room is one of the most interesting things ever. Pretty much, we have to clear the mats because they are all over the place.”
What about the rule banning punches to the head?

“That’s true … I’m serious,” Steadman said. “Many times I have to step between them because they wrestle like they hate each other, and I know that’s not true.”

The brothers are close and agreed that the animosity on the mat is over as soon as they step off it. But the sibling rivalry is so intense, they’ve had no choice but to get better.

They joined the wrestling team as freshmen, even though Steadman said he badgered them to join in middle school. They began attending open-mat sessions in the summer, going to tournaments during the offseason and working out at assistant coach Ishmal Williams’ brother’s gym — the Samuel L. Felton Gym in Lorain.

“We were wrestling all kinds of different styles there,” Matthew said. “We knew we had potential, so we started wrestling throughout the year.”

They wrestled others and they beat on each other. They quickly saw the results were better when they faced a motivated, top-tier opponent.

“We go to a small school, so we don’t have many people who can (maintain our intensity),” Matthew said. “It’s good to have another one of myself to go against me. We work together to get better.

“When I go against him, I feel his energy is higher than everyone else’s. He’s coming at you every second of the match. It’s more than we’re going to get out there in most matches.”

Clearview may not go to the toughest tournaments in the state, but Steadman does his best to make sure his top guys face the best opponents in the meets and tournaments the Clippers do attend.

“We had them against the Spanglers (from Keystone) early in the season and those were good matches,” Steadman said. “At the Midpark tournament, I could have put Michael at 126 (pounds), but I wanted him to have as many tough matches as we could get.”

Michael edged Elyria’s Brandon Egnor in the semifinals and lost a close 12-7 decision to Lakewood’s William Abdel-Salam in the final. Egnor and Abdel-Salam are state-ranked in Division I. Michael also was leading No. 10-ranked Nick Chuha of Cuyahoga Heights before a late five-point move cost him the match.

The hard work helped Michael advance to the Division II district tournament — the Clippers have dropped to Division III this season — last year, and Steadman said he is approaching 90 career wins with a full season remaining.

“Their work ethic is unbelievable,” Steadman said. “They can go out and demolish somebody, and if the kids score on them or they feel they hit something wrong, they’re upset. They have the mentality of a wrestler who has been wrestling since they were 6 years old.”

Steadman is a Hollingsworth expert, as he sees the pair all year long. He coaches cross country and track, too, and Michael and Matthew are members of those teams.

“This was the first year they ran cross country,” Steadman said. “Michael goes out and he’s like four seconds away from breaking the school record.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. They impress me every day.”

They impress many. Steadman said teachers, school staff and students come to matches to watch them, and their teammates consider the quiet brothers their leaders.

“It’s just the desire we have to be great at what we do,” Matthew said. “We don’t just do it for ourselves. It’s for our school, our team, our family, our brothers and sisters, our mom and dad … we have a lot to try and get better for.”

That’s why the Hollingsworths are rarely seen loafing around the house. They spend most of their free time running around their neighborhood and working out.

“People think they are insane,” Steadman said. “I think they are, too.”

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

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