Broken Bow Brothers continue winning tradition with a pair of State Titles

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (KNOP) - From a young age, all four of the Wells Brothers; Cyrus, Connor, Cal, and Cobe have all been each other’s greatest competition, especially when they stepped on a wrestling mat.

“It’s pretty tough, there’s a lot of arguments about who is the best, but we all know it’s me! We’ve all worked really hard, we’ve all practiced with each other since day one and we’re all proud of each other and how far we’ve come,” says Connor.

In 2022, Cyrus, the oldest of the four, became the first to become a State Champion winning the Class B 132-pound weight class.

Connor and Cal both went one and two at the 2022 State Tournament but knew that the next season they wanted to be at the top of the podium just like Cyrus.

“I took a lot of crap from him so I had to go out on top this year so I didn’t have to listen to him tell me how he was a State Champ,” says Connor.

“It kind of gave me some confidence going into this year knowing that I can be like him,” says Cal.

And the day finally came, at the 2023 State Tournament both Connor and Cal punched their ticket into the finals to give themselves the opportunity to carry on the winning tradition.

Connor was set to wrestle first in the 182 weight class. In the finals, Connor wrestled Derek Wacker from Yutan and won by a 3-2 decision to become the second Wells Brother to become a State Champion.

“It was pretty special, it was one of the greatest feelings in the world knowing that all my hard work paid off,” says Connor.

But that wouldn’t be the end of the excitement for the Wells family. Cal still waiting in the tunnels for his chance to take the mat and drawing inspiration from Connor who had just joined Cyrus as a Champion.

“It just put some fire in my belt when Connor won and I was watching him on the big screen, it was pretty exciting. He came back there and gave me a high five and I knew I was ready to go,” says Cal.

Cals time on the mat finally came and he was set to wrestle Jaret Peterson from Chase County. Cal wouldn’t be denied standing at the top of the podium just like his brothers as he claimed the 3-2 decision to become a State Champion.

“It felt great once I knew I won. I went home and had a talk with my brothers, so it was good,” says Cal.

So there are now three State Champions in the Wells household, Cyrus, Connor, and Cal. However, they’re hoping the winning doesn’t stop there as their youngest brother Cobe still has to take his turn on the NSAA State Tournament Mat.

Cyrus, Connor, and Cal all play a part in helping coach up Cobe in hopes that he too will stand on top of the podium like they once did.

“Just last week we went to AAU and tried coaching him, we’re always trying to push him and make him get better,” says Cal.