Blair Academy's Grey choosing his own path

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

On this particular day, thick snowflakes blanket the woods around Blair Academy, nestled in the foothills of northwestern New Jersey.

Mark Grey is a three-time Cadet Nationals champion in Fargo, North Dakota
(Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)

But there's only one road that Mark Grey is currently walking on, the path that winds through the prep school's gorgeous sprawling campus to the brand spanking new wrestling and basketball facility.

It's a path he might not have followed had his older brother Mike not first blazed his own trail in the state of New Jersey. Now an All-American wrestler at Cornell, the 141-pound junior went 157-2 at Delbarton School, becoming the first four-time New Jersey state champion in the process.

Mark knew that comparisons to his brother's career would be inevitable were he to also attend Delbarton. But he'd been tagging along with Mike to informal sessions at Blair in junior high, and had gotten to known legendary Bucs wrestling coach Jeff Buxton. Once he did well on the entrance exam, Mark decided to trade a green and gray singlet for a navy one instead.

"I didn't want to take the same route that my brother did," Mark said. "I wanted to do my own thing, so I went to Blair."

No disrespect to Delbarton, but going to Blair upped the ante in terms of competition. Mark's first tournament was the Walsh Ironman; his second, Beast of the East. Talk about putting your feet to the fire.

"I think by coming to Blair, it kind of put (the comparisons to Mike) to rest," Coach Buxton said. "He's going about it in a little bit different way (by) wrestling at a school that has a more competitive schedule, so he's in a very different environment than Mike was on a daily basis ... He's set his own accolades and already raised the bar pretty high."

It goes without saying that New Jersey has some of the fiercest high school wrestling competition in the country, so the bulls-eye would have been squarely on Mark's back from day one.

"With Mike winning four state titles, Mark got to see firsthand the pressure and everything that goes with wrestling in New Jersey," his older brother John Grey Jr. said. "Going to Blair means he's not putting all his eggs into one basket. The schedule is so diverse. There are so many major tournaments that it gives him the opportunity to create his own path and set other goals."

Mark Grey

Of course, you don't start at a place like Blair as a freshman without coming in highly touted. As the 2008-09 school year began, Mark was fresh off winning a double Cadet national championship in freestyle and Greco-Roman in his first trip to Fargo. In his corner for the tournament were his brother Mike and fellow Pascack Hills alum Cody Cooperman.

A vaunted wrestling club in Northern New Jersey whose famed alumni includes current and former All-Americans like Grey, Cooperman, Kurt Backes and Steve Mocco, the Pascack Hills Cowboys were Mark's first introduction to wrestling. He would follow Mike to practice and imitate his moves. Mark finally joined at age four, and wound up winning his first AAU Eastern National championship by five.

And he hasn't stopped winning ever since, claiming everything from six Northeast Regional championships to a USA Wrestling Kids Triple Crown. After being a double champion at Fargo, he went 38-1 as a nationally-ranked freshman, winning titles at the prestigious Beast of the East tournament and a National Prep Title at 103 pounds.

His only loss came in the finals of his first major tournament, the Walsh Ironman. There he fell by a narrow 6-3 decision to Nick Brascetta of St. Paris Graham. Mark would finish the season ranked No. 2 in the country at 103 pounds by InterMat, second only to Brascetta.

Mark Grey won his second Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman title this past summer
(Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)

Now the No. 6-ranked sophomore in the country by InterMat, Mark says his loss was one of inexperience, and he's ready for a rematch.

"It was my first major tournament and I was nervous," Mark admits. "I messed up with a dumb headlock in the first period. I really didn't wrestle the way I can."

It was that headlock that cost him the match, as Brascetta countered him for an easy takedown, then controlled on top the rest of the match.

"He prepares really well, we prepared for this particular kid and he got out of the game plan," Coach Buxton said. "This happens (occasionally) with young kids when they get nervous in the finals of a big tournament, and I think being able to find his groove and stay calm for those big matches will be key down the road."

Of course, times have changed and a rematch might not be in the works. Mark bulked up over the summer, wrestled at 112 pounds at Fargo, and is unsure at this point whether he'll move up to wrestle at 119 or 125 for the Bucs this season. He guessed that he might wrestle at 135 by senior year, then eventually end up at 141 or 149 in college.

"He's a stronger wrestler physically," said Blair 112-pounder Evan Silver, Mark's teammate and training partner. "We're lifting now and he's really powerful with his takedowns."

But with the new season and the added weight will also come additional challenges in the form of better, more experienced competition.

"As he moves into 119 or 125, instead of hitting ninth graders, now he's going to be hitting seniors," Coach Buxton said. "That's going to be the biggest adjustment. He's going to hit better guys at those weights because that's where the best guys in the country usually are -- between 119 and 140 pounds."

It's said that the transformation from freshman year to sophomore year at Blair is a substantial jump, and a recent practice confirms that. To see Mark Grey practice reveals a focused, confident wrestler who has filled out and looks nothing like the nervous freshman of a year ago.

Mark Grey (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)

"He's become a lot more explosive," Coach Buxton said. "I'm really excited to watch him wrestle in December because I think he's made such big jumps this year."

One thing Mark will not lack in is support. With brother Mike rooting him on from Ithaca and older brother John Jr. on the Bucs coaching staff, there are plenty of people to make sure he stays the course.

Not that he needs it. His stated goal since the age of five has been to wrestle in the Olympics, and that has not changed. But for a 16-year-old, Mark Grey has a maturity and patience that belies his years. He understands that it's a long process, a journey that requires discipline and consistent, if not dramatic, improvement on a daily basis.

Suffice it to say, the sophomore will experience some growing pains, as the road to wrestling glory is never easy. But when descriptive nouns like "the total package" and "a juggernaut" are thrown around to describe a wrestler still realizing his potential, bright lights wouldn't seem to be too far off.

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