Lebanon’s Mariyah Brumley discovered early on that she likes to tackle.
“I was D-tackle (in football) and it helped me keep my head up and stay lower,” said the Lebanon senior. “I really enjoyed it.”
She started playing football and fell in love, but her love and talents in a different sport seemed like a match made in heaven.
“I quit [football] so that I wouldn’t get hurt for wrestling because I was getting more and more into wrestling,” Mariyah said.
“She’s got the wrestling mentality,” said Lebanon Head Coach Matt Neely. “She just picked it up really fast. I mean she walked on her 8th grade year and was just decimating everybody in middle school, even some boys.”
Mariyah knew right away that the wrestling mat is where she belonged.
“Just wrestling guys from the start, I was beating them,” Mariyah said. “So it made me think, what is there to be scared of? If I just put as much work in as they are then I’ll be fine.”
Mariyah has competed nationally and even reached 150 career wins. She’s undefeated this year, winning every single match by a forfeit or a pin, but Mariyah says there is one meet that truly brings out her nerves.
“It all messes with my head being at state,” Mariyah said. “I don’t wrestle my best. But winning it last year, it was big to me.”
Those early days against the boys help Mariyah keep a strong mind, proving to herself that she can beat anyone.
“Mariyah doesn’t have levels it’s [just] ‘Go!’,” Matt said. “It doesn’t matter if she is wrestling a girl who is 1-27 or a girl who is 360-0.”
But it’s Mariyah who is usually the one with the zero in the loss column. With state drawing closer, there’s just one final tackle Mariyah wants to make with another win at state.
