NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Step into the lobby of the Granby High School gym and the wrestling history is staring back at you.
Legendary coach Billy Martin led the Comets to 21 team state titles and guided 109 individual state champions. It's a history in which the current Granby wrestlers are well-versed.
"It's a move all over the world that's known as the Granby Roll," said senior Alex Rippel. "It's a big name to have behind you and I think it's cool to be able to try to fulfill that name."
"My dad, his dad, grew up wrestling and they were going to the Granby camps," junior Keith Fernandez added. "It was a big deal for me to be here, have kind of a full circle moment."
It's fitting that the Granby wrestling room of today resembles that of the past, busy with state qualifiers preparing to chase championships this weekend. Head coach Samson Sausser, along with assistants Keith Goff, Eric Harris and Frank Lipoli have the Comets looking closer to the top-notch program of yesteryear honored in the hallways.
"Everyone's excited," Fernandez noted. "We just sent 10 people to states, which hasn't been done in many, many years, so everyone's excited. Everyone's feeling ready."
"Keep calm, stay collected, focus on my goal," said Rippel of his approach. "I know what I'm here to do, I know what I want to achieve, just got to go for it."
Rippel and Fernandez are a combined 57-0 on the season. They're the backbone of a Granby team that's pushed itself up off the mat after falling short of expectations in 2024. The Comets bounced back to claim this year's Region 5B crown and enter the Class 5 state meet Saturday looking to turn some heads.
"To see everybody doing good and have the whole team doing good and seeing not only I won regionals, but my whole team did, it's a different kind of feeling," said Fernandez.
"We had a really young team last year," Rippel pointed out. "I think this year we've made a huge jump and a lot of our guys have made a huge skill jump and we've gone way above expectations this season. I'm really happy with how we've done."
Granby is a program working its way back to the top, with challenges it has yet to take down, but this weekend they get the chance to make some noise on the state championship stage.
"Every morning I wake up and I just think about states last year," said Fernandez, who finished runner-up in 2024 as a sophomore. "Losing in overtime in front of thousands of people, state finals, so every day I wake up wanting to get that state title."
"That's been my dream," Rippel added. "I only started wrestling my freshman year and I've been working my butt off to win a state championship and that would mean the world to me if I could do that."
Granby will hit the mat at the Class 5 state championship Saturday at Frank Cox High School. The host Falcons and Great Bridge are two of the Comets' biggest hurdles to clear in order to take home a state crown.
