Grant Brewer’s Inspirational Journey from Injury to Wrestling at Wabash College
By FRED KRONER
Grant Brewer was in the varsity lineup for the Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestling program as a sophomore, winning a combined 49 matches in those seasons.
He was still a regular as a senior during the recent 2023-24 season.
What makes his story – as well as his commitment to wrestle at Wabash College – both compelling and miraculous are the events that took place following the end of his season in February of 2022 and when he started practice more than a year and a half later in November of 2023.
“Towards the end of my sophomore year, I hurt my back while lifting weights for football,” Brewer said. “After three months of physical therapy for a ‘pulled hamstring,’ I was finally able to get insurance to do an MRI for late August (2022).
“That MRI showed that I had a herniated disc, pinching my sciatic nerve running down my left leg.”
About the time Brewer would have started wrestling practice as a junior in November (2022), he was in the operating room for what was expected to be a two-hour surgical procedure.
“The surgery took over 4 ½ hours to complete,” Brewer said. “My disc was so hard and calcified that the surgeon had to chisel the disc away tiny piece by tiny piece.
“When I woke up from surgery, my left foot was asleep.
This made me question if I’d ever be able to wrestle again.”
The teen-ager wasn’t the only one with that fear.
“To be honest, the doctors did not have a whole lot of faith in my ability to return to the mat,” Brewer said. “I quickly snapped out of that mindset when I would have talks with my coach, Michael Glosser.
“Glosser would have me visualize myself getting back onto the mat to compete. At first I thought, ‘That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.’”
And yet, Brewer needed something to look forward to, a ray of hope that he could return to competition in the rough-and-tumble sport of wrestling.
“I proceeded to get deep in my thoughts and mind even though I thought it was nonsense,” he said. “This allowed me to actually believe that I could make it back onto the mats.
“I focused and set goals for myself to achieve. They were small goals such as completing my exercises three times a day. I believed that I needed to focus on what I could do rather than dreading the fact that I suffered a terrible injury.
“This helped me keep a positive attitude in this difficult time as a young athlete who was known as being a wrestler.”
Even though he loved the image that being a high school athlete portrayed, Brewer recognized that would just be a temporary phase in his life.
“That wasn’t what defined me,” Brewer said. “Who you are as a person is what truly matters. Sports are over for everyone at some point.
“This helped guide me back to the church and become more involved in my faith. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. Throughout my recovery, it was a matter of when I would be back and not if.
“I put the negative thoughts behind and took it a day at a time. I worked hard every day, completing all my physical therapy and stretches.”
He was inactive athletically as a junior, but not a stranger to the wrestling team.
“I also went to every practice, meet and tournament to support my team and be a part of the team through my recovery,” Brewer said. “I would get up extra early and ride with my family to the meets because I was not able to ride the bus or be in a car for more than 30 minutes at a time.
“I wanted success for my team just as much – if not more – than the success I wished for myself.”
As his junior year his sped along, so, too, did his recovery. He was improving so much that he considered a return to competition in time for the postseason in February, 2023.
“My body had made tremendous progress from where I had been four months prior,” Brewer said. “I tried to do easy drills at practice before Glosser, (assistant Vince) Chambliss, and (assistant Brendan) Watson would get on me about taking it easy.
“So throughout that year I was the team DJ. I would play music while they were practicing and I was completing my exercises and stretches to make the environment more enjoyable.”
His heart told him he could return to action, but his mind – and the minds of others – told him to be patient.
“I was cautious about returning to the mat too early and getting a possible re-injury,” Brewer said. “Coach Glosser was by my side throughout the entire injury. He would push me to retrain my mind when dealing with the injury.
“He would look out for me and tell me that I needed to take some time off or to be more cautious. I wanted to get back and compete at the end of the junior year since my body felt good, but it just wouldn’t be worth it, Glosser told me.”
A premature return could lead to a reinjury that potentially would sideline Brewer throughout his entire senior season.
He opted to continue taking it at a slower pace than he desired.
“Doing all of my exercises to come back for a remarkable senior year,” Brewer said. “I took his advice and did small things at first to get my body acclimated back to the sporting world.”
In hindsight, it was the correct call. Even by waiting an additional nine months, he still wasn’t fully prepared to blast through workouts as a senior.
“When this year’s practices kicked off, I would have to stop in certain drills because my back would be fatigued,” Brewer said. “I would continue my stretches and get back to work shortly after.”
And that ‘remarkable senior year,’ that he wished for? That part was truly a dream come true.
For a 28-3 Oakwood/Salt Fork team, Brewer compiled a 42-6 record, eclipsing the 20-pin mark, and placed sixth at state in Class 1A at 150 pounds. In the semifinals, he lost to the eventual state champion.
Brewer was one of the Comets’ winningest wrestlers. Pedro Rangel had 45 wins, Bryson Capansky had 43 wins while both Brewer and Dalton Brown ended with 42 wins.
Glosser called Brewer’s comeback a phenomenal story.
“From a kid who might not ever play sports, to a college wrestler, I absolutely love being part of these journeys,” Glosser said. “Grant is one of a kind. I’ve been lucky enough as a teacher to have him all through grade school and then get to coach him in high school, and it was nothing short of amazing.
“Grant is a very high character student-athlete maintaining amazing grades all while being part of many organizations. I always tell kids it’s not the medals I judge them on, but how they battle everyday adversity in sports and in life.
“Grant is the definition of that.”
Brewer’s injury could have been life-altering as well as career-ending.
“When he broke his back and had to get surgery, nobody knew exactly what to expect, but Grant showed the power of the mind and a never-give-up mentality,” Glosser said. “After almost over a year out of sports and countless hours of physical therapy, he hit the mats his senior year just hoping to be able to compete and be healthy.
“But just like everything else he does in life, he set his goals high and didn’t let anybody stand in his way. To finish as an all-state wrestler taking sixth is incredible. His college coaches are getting a dream come true in a kid like Grant Brewer.”
The back injury not only curtailed his activities, but also limited the chances for collegiate coaches to evaluate him.
“Since I did not wrestle at all my junior year, colleges did not have their eyes on me until I returned to the mat my senior year,” Brewer said.
His performance on the mats quickly attracted the attention of college coaches. He heard from 12 different schools.
“I focused my talks with nine of them in the beginning,” Brewer said. “After speaking with the coaches and learning of the programs offered at each, I chose to visit seven different colleges in the Midwest.”
He did his homework while on the recruiting trips.
“While visiting those schools, I kept a pros and cons list of the school as well as their wrestling program and coaches,” Brewer said. “That list allowed me to visually see what was special with each program and school.
“I wanted a school that would challenge me academically just as much or more than the wrestling program because one day wrestling will be over, and I will only have the person that I have grown to be.”
He subsequently narrowed his list to three finalists. He took a follow-up visit to Wabash during its ‘accepted student weekend.’
“This allowed me to create a bond with the team in just my short stay,” Brewer said. “For that visit, Wabash paired me with a current wrestler, Neil Johnson, that they felt would be a great fit with my goals and personality.
“This helped me envision what my life as a student-athlete at Wabash would be like.”
Coach Riley Kauzlaric, from Wabash, reached out to Brewer on social media after he watched him win all of his matches at Abe’s Rumble in Springfield as a senior (December, 2023).
“He would show up at different meets that I was competing in throughout the year,” Brewer said. “He started talking to me about the scholarships that could be available to me with my grades.
“Honestly, we didn’t really know what to expect with the recruiting process. Coach K was the first person to reach out to me, and he continued to follow me and my progress all year.
“He was the only one that did that. Coach K definitely made me feel like I was wanted there. They showed up at meets. This showed me that I mattered to them.”
Brewer also visited Cornerstone University, Loras College, the University of Dubuque, Central (Iowa) College, Indian Hills, Illinois Wesleyan University and Wabash.
He is looking forward to the opportunities that await.
“I am excited for college wrestling,” said Brewer, who expects to compete in the 149-pound weight class. “I feel as though my best wrestling is yet to come. Being in a room full of people who are there for the right reason will help me tremendously.
“I know that I have a lot to work on and I’m excited to see what I can accomplish in these next couple years.”
He has had no shortage of people – in addition to Glosser – to credit for achieving his goal.
“My parents, coaches, family, and practice partners have all been instrumental to my success,” Brewer said. “My parents (Heather and Gary Brewer) have helped me every step of the way whether it was taking me to tournaments three, four or five hours away, taking me to every practice or getting me the help I needed for my injuries.
“They always put me and my brother before themselves. They want the best for both of us and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Coaches Glosser, Chambliss and Watson also had a major impact.
“Glosser has taught me how much your mind can do whether it’s with injuries, success, or failure,” Brewer said. “He has taken so much time away from his family to better me and my team so we can achieve our goals.
“Chambliss has believed in me since I was 7 years old. He has helped push me and guide me in ways I’d never been previously. He sacrifices so much so we can strive to be great. He truly puts us a priority in his life.
“Watson always keeps me in a positive attitude. He just lights up the room and everyone enjoys being around him. He has helped me and my teammates by opening up his own home for us to get extra workouts in or just to have fun, playing shuffleboard and darts.”
Brewer’s first coach with the Oakwood Youth Wrestling program was Steve Drollinger.
He joined as a 7-year-old thanks to the encouragement of youth football coaches. Brewer started playing football when he was 6.
“I definitely wasn’t the best (in wrestling) at first,” Brewer said. “I was learning a sport that no one in my family knew, so I did not have their guidance on how to improve.”
Drollinger resigned after Brewer’s first year with wrestling.
“We have stayed in contact over the years and I still see him around,” Brewer said. “When I would start going to the gym early in the morning before school, I would see him every day.
“In order to get what I wanted out of my senior year, I knew I would have to put in a lot of work and he did, too. We started lifting at 5:30 in the morning all summer long. He is a great role model, gym partner, and mentor. He pushed me in the gym like I never had been before. If I slept in one day and missed the gym, I would hear about it from him. He kept me accountable.”
Former Comet Joe Lashuay was more than a friend and a practice partner.
“Joe Lashuay has helped me tremendously in my work ethic,” Brewer said. “That man does not know the word slow. He is always pushing himself to new limits.
“He was my practice partner my first two years of high school. I would get whooped up on every day.
“I needed someone that caliber to show me that I have a lot to improve on if I want to get to that level. Joe took me to the gym with him and taught me how to lift properly. We would get up at 4:30 to get a good workout in before school each day.
“Not only that, but he and I would wrestle in his basement to put in extra work my freshman and sophomore year.”
Lashuay was also an exemplary role model, Brewer said, who “showed me what doing all the right things could get you. He is a perfect example of what discipline and hard work can get you.
“Not only wrestling and lifting related, but he also brought me to church with him and his family. We would go to High School Ministry on Sunday nights at Second Church. He helped me in my relationship with Christ.
“I couldn’t thank these seven people in my life more. I don’t do a whole lot of off-season, I still go to Chambliss‘s (wrestling) room to get some extra work to sharpen my skills. I’ve been primarily hitting the gym and working on my cardio and endurance.”
Brewer had plenty of workout partners for his senior year and they offered him different kinds of challenges.
“I grind it in the wrestling room every day, switching partners to get different feels,” Brewer said. “Capansky, (Jack) Ajster, Brown and (Carter) Chambliss all helped contribute loads to my success.
“If it wasn’t for all of these guys, pushing me in the wrestling room, scrapping with me, I would have never gotten where I am. My senior year was exciting yet bittersweet. I wanted to leave an impact on some of the underclassman like Joe had done for me.
“I wanted to show my team that injuries come and go, and they’re part of the sport. It’s how you handle those injuries and the mindset you have that ultimately set you apart. I would take it one day at a time and I would not worry about things coming up.”
At Wabash, Brewer plans to major in biology. His career path was influenced by the injury he sustained.
“Depending on what internships I do, I would like to be either a physical therapist or a doctor,” Brewer said. “I want to help young athletes get back to competition by returning at their highest level of function so they can achieve their goals just as I did.”
Wabash College, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, is about 55 miles from Brewer’s home.
“This is just far enough away that it doesn’t feel like I’m still living at home,” he said. “However, I will still be able to go back-and-forth as much as I please.
“This will also make it very convenient for my family to come to closer meets and tournaments.”
In addition to wrestling, Brewer played both baseball and football for 10 years and spent one year each in cross-country, soccer and track.
“I love wrestling because there is nobody else to blame besides yourself for your successes and failures,” he said. “It is a sport all about trusting your training and your mentality, and that sets it apart from all the others.”
Many of the areas where Brewer excels were learned during the adversity he faced throughout his junior year.
“I think that some of my strengths are resilience, staying positive in difficult situations, and adaptability,” he said. “I am able to fight through the hard and not just give in though it’s hard.
“I make the most out of my situations and I focus on what I can do rather than the things I can’t when it comes to injuries.
“I know just how easily things can get taken away from you; all of the things that you and I take for granted, so I now cherish all of the things I am fortunate enough to have and do. I can adapt to difficult situations in ways not a lot of others can. I remain positive in my thoughts.”
