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HARTINGTON — If you’ve never attended a wrestling tournament — especially the state tournament — you’re missing one of the most unique experiences in sports.
Those who have been there understand. Wrestling is about family. And at Cedar Catholic, that word carries special meaning.
The Trojans recently watched three brothers cap remarkable seasons for both their family and their team. But in wrestling, family extends far beyond bloodlines.
“Wrestling is as ‘family’ as you can get in sports,” said former Cedar Catholic coach Eric Becker, now co-leader of Hartington’s League of Heroes youth wrestling program. “And in a lot of cases, it doesn’t matter what team you’re on or who you’re rooting for.”
Becker preceded current head coach Justin Bartling, who took over the program in 2010.
“I felt it was better to get someone in there with a little more knowledge and time to give to the program,” Becker said. “As it turns out, it was a very good choice for everyone.”
Shortly after stepping into the role, Bartling — a member of the Army Reserves — was called to active duty and served two deployments.
“I ended up missing about 14 months, including a couple of districts and a state tournament,” Bartling said. “There wasn’t much I could do. My wife was a champ. We had kids and I was gone.”
Bartling left before his son, now a sophomore, had turned one and returned after he was already 2 years old.
During that time, the wrestling family stepped in.
John Freeman and Matt Wortmann guided the program in Bartling’s absence. Freeman has been involved with Cedar wrestling and the League of Heroes since 2004. Wortmann has worked alongside Bartling from the beginning and continues to do so.
Freeman now co-leads the League of Heroes and recently celebrated a milestone of his own. His daughter, Evie, won the firstever gold medal for the Lady Trojan wrestling team as a sophomore after earning the program’s first state medal last season.
While this season’s success has drawn headlines, those inside the program know it was years in the making.
“Our League of Heroes has been the biggest asset, and we wouldn’t be close to where we are without it,” Bartling said. “Those people do a great job with the kids, and our current wrestlers go down there and help out.”
“The little kids love seeing the ‘big’ wrestlers come in and help,” Becker added. “They might just say one thing to a kid and he’ll remember it. If they tell him he’s a beast, he’ll believe he’s a beast on the mat. Success breeds success.”
Few embody the emotional side of that family bond more than Erica Hochstein.
As the mother of Bodie, Easton and Brady — all state champions — she proudly supports the program. She just doesn’t always watch.
“If I know it’s going to be a tough match, I just can’t watch,” she said. “I’ll go out in the hallway or to the bathroom. I’m just a wreck.”
She has had plenty of those moments. Bodie claimed his state title last year. Easton and Brady each captured gold this past weekend.
“When Easton was wrestling in the finals, I left before it started,” Erica said. “They have television screens in the hallway, so I had to go into the bathroom. I finally heard the PA announcer say he won, so I came out. Then Brady had to wrestle, so.… a lot of nerves for me.”
Sometimes she sneaks back in to peek at the scoreboard. Sometimes she waits it out.
And sometimes she knows exactly what’s coming.
“When Bodie got beat at state, I immediately felt sorry for whoever had to wrestle Easton,” she said. “I knew he would be mad, and I knew he was going to win. I was also pretty sure Brady would win. He’s going to play football at Wayne State next year, so I knew he didn’t want to finish his wrestling career with a loss — and he didn’t.”
Those who have watched this group grow weren’t surprised.
“When they were younger, you could just tell they were different,” Freeman said. “Very competitive, very hard-working and good listeners.”
Becker sees the program’s current success as the fulfillment of a long-term vision.
“The way things are now is what I envisioned for the program when I was head coach,” he said. “We’re getting closer, and I believe we have the right man at the top to keep us there.”
Freeman agrees. “Justin is amazing. I have a ton of respect for him, and so do the kids,” Freeman said. “It’s easy to help him because he works harder than anyone at it, and he’s just a good guy.”
At Cedar Catholic, the medals matter. But the family — the one built on long practices, youth tournaments, deployments, nerves in the hallway and generations on the mat — may matter even more.
