Dernlan left St. John Arena in Columbus with his brother Matt, a freshman, at his side. Matt had failed to place in the tournament, a disappointing result for a young wrestler who also had seen his oldest brother, Jeff, win two championships. Now Steve had two as well.
Matt wanted the same. He looked up to his brothers. They had laid the groundwork, he thought, for him and the youngest Dernlan, Tim. While no one ever pressured Matt to win, his brother’s accomplishments motivated him to do even better. That’s why he made this bold prediction to Steve that day.
“I’m never losing again,” Matt said.
“That’s a good goal,” Steve told him.
If there’s a moment that epitomizes the Dernlans’ story, this is it. The Dernlan family had four championships at that point. Matt would, in fact, never lose again, winning three state championships. Tim, who used to carry around a picture in his wallet of Jim Jordan, Graham’s four-time champ, would match his brother with three of his own.
From 1985-93, the Dernlans won 10, stamping themselves as one of the most prolific families in the history of Ohio high school sports.
“I get more and more appreciative (these days) of what we did together as a family and what we accomplished as a family,” said Matt, now the director of wrestling operations at Penn State. “When I was in that competitive mode, it was my expectation that that’s what I would do and achieve. My wife still gets on me for not appreciating it enough.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
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