Bontz brothers carry on tradition
BY MATT BROWNING
Wichita Eagle correspondent
Codie and Alex Bontz were destined to be talented wrestlers.
There's a long and illustrious family history that the Bontz brothers are carrying on. Their grandfather, Antoine, was the founder of the Wichita Wrestling Club; their father, Lindon, was a state champion at Kapaun Mount Carmel in 1974.
From a young age, Codie and Alex knew they wanted to follow in their family's wrestling tradition.
"Our dad let us choose what we wanted to do, but it was always encouraged if we wanted to wrestle," Codie said. "It's something that has grown on us as we have gotten older."
"I got hooked on it when I was eight years old," Alex said. "I remember hearing of my dad's success and what my grandpa had done and then I really got involved."
Codie is a junior at Wichita Independent. He was the Class 3A runner-up at 140 pounds a year ago and is ranked second at 140 in Class 4A this year by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
Although the real test comes at state, Codie seems to have made a successful jump from 3A to 4A. He's 15-3 this season and won the prestigious Bishop Carroll Invitational.
"Codie has a fantastic work ethic," Independent coach Kenny Taylor said. "He's growing more and more each day. Some kids get content with their success but that's not Codie. His heart and determination pay dividends."
Alex, a freshman, is 20-0 and ranked third in 4A at 125 pounds.
"I knew it was going to be difficult to come in and be successful," Alex said. "But Coach Taylor has pushed us to the limit and I have gotten better in the process."
Having a sibling on the team adds to each wrestler's motivation.
"By having (Alex) here, I think it makes both of us more competitive," Codie said. "It makes us hungrier, which makes both of us better."
Ready? Wrestle -- Over the past 20 years, the Wichita metropolitan area has supplied plenty of solid teams at state tournaments.
Since 1988, City League and AV-CTL schools have won 12 team state championships.
The 2008-2009 season so far, shows no signs of being any different.
According to the KWCA, 10 schools in the Wichita area are ranked in the top 10 of their classes.
Of the 246 wrestlers ranked in Classes 4A, 5A and 6A, 77 reside in the Wichita area.
