Schaefer credits wrestling with changing his life

Did wrestling save Bryce Schaefer?

The Dixon senior believes the sport did just that. Wrestling helped him turn his life around and point him in the right direction so he could become the person he is today.

Who he is – a student athlete with dreams of helping others through the Marine Corps upon graduation – could have been drastically different had he not decided to spend the bulk of his time in the rectangular room on the second floor of Dixon High School.

As he sat on a brown plastic chair, creaking under his shifting weight, Schaefer talked about the path he started down, and it’s one he is glad to have in his past.

“Freshman year, I fell off the horse,” Schaefer said on Tuesday. “I didn’t wrestle because of bad grades, and I was in a real bad spot. But today, I can say that this sport, Coach [Chris] Bishop and Coach [Micah] Hey, saved my life. I owe it to them.”

As a freshman, Schaefer didn’t have the grades to keep himself on the wrestling team. He failed a number of classes, and allowed himself to fade into the shadows. He remembers feeling content about his direction, and that scared him. He didn’t want to aimlessly float through life, but he wasn’t sure how to pick himself back up.

He said his parents’ divorce hit him hard, but it was more than that. He became overwhelmed with his new responsibilities as a high school student, and wasn’t ready to grow up.

“I was failing all of these classes because I didn’t care,” Schaefer said. “My coaches saw this and took me aside and helped me get back on track. I was ashamed coming back to practice, because I was that guy who would always skip. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, and one day I told myself I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.”

His sophomore year was his first full high school season, and he made sure to do everything asked of him. He got to know the now-familiar walls in the wrestling room, lined with purple and white panels. He took the time to get to know the names of the former Dukes wrestlers in the photos that hang on the walls.

Schaefer wasn’t motivated by hoping to join them on the wall; instead, he was driven by their work ethic. Soon he forged a bond with those who would grind each day with him – his teammates and coaches. Each one played their own role in helping Schaefer reach a better place in his life.

“When I first started coaching, it was all about winning,” Bishop said. “But as you progress a little bit, you start appreciating the relationships you form, and it becomes more about that than wins and losses.

“For Bryce, he is a completely different person than he was freshman year. He showed deterimination to make himself a better person, and if he were to tell me he was going to the Marines his freshman year, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Schaefer will wrestle in his first sectional this weekend at the 2A Washington Sectional, after advancing with a third-place finish last Saturday in the 170-pound weight class. He is one of nine Dixon wrestlers to advance to sectionals, and has an appreciation for the opportunity that lies ahead.

He first began wrestling in first grade, but didn’t record his first win until his third year. As a sophomore, he was knocked out in the regional round, and remembered almost quitting. But the thoughts of how bad his freshman year was poured back into his mind, and he made an important decision that he still thinks about.

“I was thinking I could either take this loss, pout, and not train and let this beat me into the ground,” Schaefer recalled, “or I could make something of myself. I chose to work hard. I’m so glad I found this room.”

His junior year was his first winning season, posting a 15-10 record.

Teammates Brandon Hey and Benny Mayes, both seniors, also advanced to sectionals for the first time this season. Hey, who comes from a family of accomplished wrestlers, said he is excited for the opportunity, knowing that his own hard work paid off.

He said it is hard for him at times to look at the walls and see four family members watch over his every move in the form of those photos. In black and white, his father, Matt, is shown, while several cousins and second cousins accompany him.

“It’s hard,” Hey said. “It’s been frustrating at times, because they were so good and I’m not as good as they were. But at the same time, I’m excitied for my own opportunity.”

For Mayes, this is his second season, and he took a big step from being a novice. He was forced to learn on the fly against varsity opponents who had a number of years of experience. Mayes, a key contributor on the Dukes’ football team, said the biggest shock was forcing himself to get in shape for wrestling.

A lot of times that meant not eating the foods he loved, as he had to drop 22 pounds to compete at 138.

“I had a little bit of a gut from football, because it doesn’t require as much conditioning,” Mayes said. “Then just running, watching what I eat was tough to get used to. I started to eat a lot of fruits, and couldn’t eat fast food. Last year was a lot harder, but the other guys pushed me, and I’m starting to get it.”

For all three, they vow not to be nervous. Each took a different path, and all three are hoping to make the most of their sectional berth in their senior year.

“I know there won’t be any repercussions if I lose,” Schaefer said. “[Losing] is already something I’ve been through. You just walk off the mat and carry it with you, and you can chose how it affects you.”