Burrows Brothers a Wrestling Team

No matter what happens this weekend at Hill House High School in Connecticut, site of the New England Regional Interscholastic Wrestling Championships, one thing is certain: No other fraternal duo can claim they were as successful during the 2010-11 winter wrestling season as were the Burrows brothers of in Rhode Interscholastic League competition.

At the state championships last week, junior Jake Burrows won his second RIIL state title in a row, following up last year’s state title at 112 with a new state crown at 119. He dominated his match against Anthony Meyers of Warwick Vets in a 10-2 decision.

His brother Jared Burrows, the only Townies senior, narrowly missed taking the 160 state crown, losing by two points to Mike Georges of La Salle, 5-3.

This dynamic mat duo were not the only Townies to emerge as state champs. Joao Vicente won at 125 and was named as the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler while heavyweight Jonah Aurelio conquered all his competitors for another state crown, helping lead the Townies to a fifth-place finish overall. All four will be heading to the regionals this weekend, accompanied by head coach Tom Galligan and assistant coaches Glen Salgueiro and Dave Seddon.

The success of the Burrows brothers has been a steady progression. Once they were hooked on the sport, there was no looking back or thoughts about competing in other sports.

Jared Burrows got into wrestling in middle school after trying football for a while. He admitted he had somewhat of an angry streak before his start on the mats.

“Now I could put my hands on people, but in a good way,” he said.

Jake Burrows had to find another sport after failing to make the seventh grade basketball team.

In stepped coach Bobby Rodericks at Riverside Middle School, who became his role model and mentor and who also runs a training center called ATC, or Athletes Turned Champions.

Now that they've progressed to the high school level, both brothers praise head coach Galligan for the attention and instruction he has given them and the rest of the team.

“He loves the sport, likes the kids and is like a father to the wrestlers,” Jared Burrows said.

“He is like my brain,” Jake Burrows said.

Galligan said the brothers are hard workers.

“They are outstanding athletes respectful to each other, their coaches, officials and other competitors," Galligan said. "But they can be fun to be around and intense, too.”

Galligan says the brothers are excellent at all three major positions in wrestling: standing up in neutral position, take downs and on-the-mat moves.

“Jacob is good but has had to work really hard. He still has a long way to go, but is really really, strong on the mat," Galligan said.

In contrast, Jared Burrows picks up most of points another way. “He gets most of his points standing up,” Galligan said.  

Jared Burrows confirmed his coach’s assessment.

"I love takedowns,” he said.

As for the constant instructions made throughout the match by the coach, Jared Burrows said those suggestions are heeded by the wrestlers. They may not be able to hear everything being said but “we make a ‘ssss’ sound whenever we want the wrestler to listen to exactly what coach says,” Jared Burrows said.

Jacob Burrows admitted he does not analyze each match by reviewing films.  “During the match I just think about what they are doing to make my moves or get out of their holds,” he said.

Both also appreciate the support they have received from the family, too, including father Julius Knott and mother Stephanie Burrows, and from the school, too. “It is great to see the school committee and the principal, too,” Jared Burrows said.

“The practices take over three hours sometimes,” Jared added without a hint of complaint about the commitment it takes to be a member of the Townies wrestling squad. “We will run for 10 minutes, do slicking (take-down or practice moves), take downs and then run again.”

And as their network of wrestlers, friends and coaches kept getting larger and larger, their relationships have grown stronger, but only to a certain point. Once they march onto the mats, no matter who they meet, “we shake hands and then it’s all business,” Jared Burrows said.

Another hotspot for the Burrows and crucial to the development of other wrestlers, martial artists and high school athletes has been May Quanchi Judo Training Center, run in West Warwick by Serge Bouyssou.

The sport of Judo, different as it is from wrestling, has been a boost to the brothers in more specific ways. “It helps us to stay more in control of our wrestling,” Jake Burrows said. “It has helped us with our hips, strength and keep us focused.”

Despite the 40-pound disparity in weight, the brothers often have wrestled against each other with interesting results. “I often beat my brother,” Jacob Burrows said.

The end of Jared Burrow's high school career this weekend does not mean he plans on exiting the wrestling scene too quickly even as he hopes to begin study to become a veterinarian’s assistant.

“I would like to come back and help out here in coaching next year,” he said.

And with another year left, Jacob has a solid chance to win again, in maybe even another weight class. “I might go up to 125 or 130,” he says, referring to the sport as “the only thing I have going on right now.”

As they got ready to leave on Friday morning from the high school for the two-hour trip to a venue featuring the top wrestlers from over 400 competitors in the region, they admitted being nervous and excited.

Win or lose in the next few days, their legacy will continue to build. But they are confident they can do even better than last year when Jake finished sixth overall and Jacob won a few matches, too.