Schuckman: All-in, all-together approach of QHS wrestling family saves memorable holiday trip

QUINCY — The commitment needed to prepare the Quincy High School wrestlers for a post-Christmas trip to Florida extended far beyond the wrestling room.

That made the realization the Blue Devils’ flights on Southwest Airlines on December 26 had been canceled all the more disheartening.

“It took the families, not just the parents but the grandparents, the cousins, the aunts and uncles, anyone who helped raise money to make this possible,” Quincy coach Phil Neally said. “To see the hope of it happening momentarily dashed, that was rough.”

The all-together mentality that made fundraising for the trip possible also made sure the Blue Devils didn’t lose the opportunity.

In the wake of the flights being canceled, Neally and his coaching staff, along with parents of the wrestlers and the staff coordinating the KSA Holiday Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla., worked endlessly to find alternate travel and funding for it on the fly. 

In the end, it took a 22-hour ride on charter bus for the Blue Devils to reach their destination by December 28 and experience the most hectic and one of the most memorable trips of their careers.

“It would have been disappointing if we would have had to reschedule or not be able to do it,” said Max Miller, a senior wrestling at 170 pounds. “It means so much to me that so many people would let us do that and support us doing that. It makes me tear up.”

The credit goes to those who refused to let the Blue Devils miss this opportunity.

“Everybody was relieved we were making this journey,” Neally said.

Maybe no one more than Neally himself.

“Just a tad,” Neally said with a smile when asked if he was stressed. “But we made it through.”

It became a story to tell.

The bus ride, which had limited stops because of the deadline the Blue Devils faced in getting there to compete, felt as long as it sounds. Still, the Blue Devils managed to keep themselves entertained.

“A lot of sleep,” Miller said. “We played a lot of fun games. We downloaded a lot of phone apps and were messing around with those. Again, a lot of sleep. Watching movies on our phones. Talking. Hanging out. It was a good time.”

Bryor Newbold echoed that.

“It’s always fun to travel with your teammates and your buddies,” said Newbold, a junior wrestling at 182 pounds. “Even though it was a long distance — 22 hours on a bus is not fun — being with them made it easier than it was.”

The Blue Devils got creative in keeping themselves engaged. Owen Uppinghouse read an entire volume of “The Sandman” comic book series.

“Page one all the way through,” the 160-pound junior said.

He then went out and helped the Blue Devils dominate their competition from match one all the way through. Quincy beat Collingswood (N.J.), Coon Rapids (Minn.) and St. Petersburg (Fla.) Catholic with every wrestler getting at least two matches.

“Once we got down there, I felt we represented ourselves pretty well,” Uppinghouse said.

Neally agreed.

“My fun is seeing the kids smiling and having a great time,” he said. “The kids were just thankful we made it down there, and they wrestled hard and enjoyed themselves.”

That’s because the QHS wrestling family went all-in all together to make it possible.