Littleman Lyon makes improbable Finals run
Undersized Ithaca junior makes up for small stature with giant heart and effort
By Sean Garner
Michigan Grappler.com
3/9 - Who could have expected Brenan Lyon of Ithaca to have the
type of success he has had so far at the individual state tournament?
Certainly not Lyon himself.
Lyon, a junior at 103 pounds, has a resume that would lead most to
believe that a trip to the finals of the state tournament would be par
for the course. Four times he has been earned All-American honors
at the Cadet and Junior National Freestyle and Greco-Roman
Championships in Fargo, ND. His coach calls him “one of the best
pound-for-pound wrestlers in the state. So why is it such a big deal
that Lyon is one match away from winning a Division 4 state title?
At only 85 pounds, Lyon is by far the smallest competitor at the
Palace of Auburn Hills this weekend.
Lyon knows he is fighting the odds every time he goes out to wrestle one of his much larger opponents, and those odds have been beaten in each of his first three matches this weekend. On top of the roughly 20 pounds he gives up with the two-pound weight allowance, Lyon also had to overcome the draw of a competitor who placed fourth in his own region. Lyon’s success has come to the surprise of many, including himself.
“I was going to be happy just to place,” Lyon said. “Coming in, I was thinking maybe seventh or eighth, and I wasn’t thinking much higher than that. Making it to the finals is pretty big.”
To make it to the finals, Lyon had to defeat his teammate, freshman regional champion James Carey. Lyon won the match against his practice partner 4-3, and even with their disparate finishes at the regional tournament, Ithaca coach Randy Miniard was not surprised by the result.
“Coming into the tournament, Brennan and James go back and forth in the room at practice,” Miniard said. “We knew coming in that it would be a battle, and either one could win.”
Carey, who won the rest of his matches to finish in third place, said Lyon has a special skill set to help mitigate his size disadvantage.
“He has a lot of speed,” Carey said. “He can always get that low single and work from there.”
Lyon says there are also psychological advantages to being the smallest wrestler around.
“A lot of guys overlook me,” Lyon said. “They look at me and think I am just going to be
another easy win. I’m quick and that helps me against the bigger kids.”
Lyon, who, with a smooth pre-pubescent looking face would have a hard time
convincing anybody he is old enough to drive, says wrestling in high school is far
different from competing on the national stage against kids his own size.
“The matches are a lot closer,” Lyon said. “I just try to keep it on my feet. I don’t try to
turn them when I’m on top, and I don’t like getting underneath these guys too much.”
One of Lyon’s other practice partners, his twin brother Chris who went 1-2 this weekend
at 112 pounds, says that despite the size difference, the two are still relatively even at
practice.
“If he was a full-sized 103 pounder, he would definitely be a state champ,” Chris said.
Chris and Brenan are just the latest Lyons to compete at the Palace, as their brother Paul, a 2004 graduate, won three state titles as a prep (2 for Shepherd, 1 for Ithaca) before moving to California to wrestle in college. Both brothers agree he is an enormous influence.
“I think he is the main reason Brenan is where he is,” Chris said. “This is his first year back, and he has been coming to practice a lot. Bringing Paul around definitely makes Brenan work harder.”
“He comes up to our practices and he knows what it is like to wrestle here being a three-timer,” Brenan said. “We push each other and we’re both getting better by it.”
In the finals Lyon was matched up against another grappler whose family has a left their mark in Auburn Hills. Hesperia’s Collin Zeerip, brother of 4x undefeated champ Justin and 2008 champ Brandon, entered the 103lb final with a 60-1 record. As usual for Lyon, he entered against a much larger opponent and he entered as the underdog.
Brenan’s remarkable run ended Saturday night as Zeerip controlled his undersized opponent and claimed the 5th title for the Zeerip family with a 10-0 major decision. For, Lyon, the loss doesn’t change what he has done or who he is.
“He is a great athlete and a very coachable kid,” Miniard said. “He is very passionate about wrestling. He busts his butt in practice. He lives and breathes the sport, and he’ll pick it over any other sport. I’ll put him up pound-for-pound against any other kid in the state.”
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