Shade brothers share passion for wrestling

After painting a rosy picture - singing praises of the siblings' work ethic and attitude - Timber Creek wrestling coach Nick Cottone heard a question that tripped him up a bit.

What are they like in the room together?

Almost not wanting to concede it, Cottone paused before offering a grittier picture of why the Shade brothers have been so successful.

"They butt heads a lot," he said. "Blaze is constantly pushing Bryce to get better. They're definitely close, you can tell. But they're not buddies in the room. In the room, they're enemies, more or less."

Blaze Shade, a senior, was even more blunt when describing his working relationship with brother Bryce Shade, a junior.

"It gets really intense," he said. "We'll get to the point where we're ready to fist-fight by the end of practice."

For their entire wrestling careers, the brothers' relationship in practice has equaled success out of it.

Bryce, at 145 pounds, is 22-8 this season. Last year, he won a Region 8 title. Blaze (170), a district champion, is 26-3 for the 17-4 Chargers, one of the top programs in South Jersey.

And as passionately as they fight during practice, they'll be in each other's corner against other opponents.

"When Bryce has a big match, I'll be so into it, so pumped up, that I don't even have to warm up for my match," Blaze Shade said. "It's a great thrill for us to watch each other succeed. And that's why we push each other so hard."

Both brothers have legitimate aspirations to place in states this year.

"You can't ask for more out of them," Cottone said. "On a good day, either one of them can beat anybody. They work so hard in the room, and they execute on the mat.

"And anything we need, as a team, they'll deliver. They'll move up in weight. They'll get bonus points. It's just great to have guys like that on the team."

And it all goes back to those fights in practice.

The two have been wrestling each other since both took the mat as young children - Bryce started wrestling when he was four; Blaze, when he was eight.

"We've been going to the same clubs and practices since we were little kids," Bryce Shade said. "And always being together and pushing each other makes the biggest difference.

"Some kids start wrestling when they're really young. Some start when they're in high school.

"But it really doesn't matter when you start. It's about the work and dedication that you put into it."

Blaze Shade adopted wrestling as his sole sport. He plans to wrestle in college, though he hasn't narrowed his search. Bryce is still trying to decide between wrestling and football.

That's part of the reason, combined with the fact that Blaze is older and heavier, that the brothers are quick to point out that Blaze usually comes out on top when they wrestle each other.

"It's always close. It's a real battle. Neither of us can stand giving up a point to each other," Bryce Shade said. "But, yeah, he usually does beat me."

Cottone pointed to the brothers' differences in personality as mirroring their different styles on the mat.

Bryce Shade, Cottone said, is more outspoken, more restless, and more likely to "take each match as it comes." Conversely, Blaze is a more relaxed personality and "will plan out his attack."

Though the brothers butt heads and though they have different personalities and styles, the coach said the two are linked by a respect for the sport, a relentless work ethic, and lofty goals that have allowed them to become two of the area's top wrestlers.

"I wouldn't trade them for anything," Cottone said. "They're a big reason why our program is where it's at over these past few years - no doubt about it."