Upper St. Clair grappler gives all on mats
Growing up, Eli Grape received many awards for his athletic achievements. However, nowhere in his trophy case are mementos for merely making an appearance in an event.
“I never got any participation trophies,” said the Upper St. Clair High School senior. “I learned you work for your awards and you never quit. Success in sports doesn’t come overnight. You have to work every day in practice and work on something to get better.”
On the mats and on the gridiron, Grape certainly has worked hard. His cluttered showcase is proof. Recently, he added a plaque for his 100th career victory in wrestling and the Sean Patrick Lee award as MVP for football.
This autumn, Grape led the defense with 114 tackles, of which 50 were unassisted. Grape had a career-high 21 tackles against McKeesport this season. The first-team all-conference pick registered 17 tackles for a loss, including three sacks of the quarterback. He recovered three fumbles for a unit that allowed just 14.6 points per game.
“I was very happy to be named MVP for football,” said the 17-year-old son of Anne and Mike Grape. “I put a lot of work into the season. To receive an award named after (Dallas Cowboy linebacker) Sean Lee is a great honor but honestly, I don’t try to imitate anybody. I do my own thing when I play football. I have fun and make tackles. My goal was for 100 this season and I did that. So I was happy with that.”
Currently, Grape is content with his achievements on the mats. During the North Hills Duals, he recorded his 100th career win when he pinned Brian Fulton from North Hills in the first period. He is the seventh grappler in USC wrestling history inducted into the Century Club.
“One hundred career wins was a personal goal,” Grape said. “It feels good to be one of the elite wrestlers in school history but I hope to challenge for the school record.”
If Grape wins the rest of his matches, he not only will top 139 career victories, he will also duplicate another feat accomplished by Mack McGuire. USC’s all-time leader also won a state championship before excelling as a four-time NCAA qualifier at Kent State University.
“The goal is to win a state championship,” Grape said. “For now, there is a lot of work to do. I will need to work harder than ever before.”
As a youth, Grape worked on every sport from swimming to soccer, before settling on wrestling and football in first grade. His father proved his biggest influence as he participated in both sports during his scholastic years before playing football at Carnegie Mellon University. The younger Grape, however, always preferred the mats.
“I like wrestling more than football because of the individuality of the sport. You get what you put into the sport,” he said while noting there is a correlation to the activities. “They both help each other. Making a tackle in football and making a kid hit the ground is like getting a pin in wrestling. You are trying to put the other guy on his back.”
Pins are Grape’s forte. Staying on his feet is his biggest plus.
“I’m good at not getting taken down,” he said when asked to access his strengths and weaknesses.
In football, Grape’s playing weight is over 200 pounds. He wrestles at 195 but weighed in at 188.1 over the holiday break.
Hard work with good training partners and coaches prove the winning recipe for Grape. Since fifth grade, he has practiced with the Quest Wrestling Club, under Jim Akerly, while competing at USC. His new high school coach is Josh Mollica and his wrestling partners are Jake Slinger, who was 31-11 as a freshman last year, and Jack Burton.
Drive and determination make Grape a good wrestler, says Mollica.
“Eli is successful due to his work ethic and love for the sport,” said the first-year head coach. “Eli trains year-round and gives a lot to the sport to put him in a place to succeed. From my short time working with him so far he is a hard worker and is very eager to learn more, and is a leader inside and outside of the wrestling room.
Mollica said they’re shooting for a state title, but he’d be pleased with Grape finishing in the top three at states. Grape is a two-time placewinner at the PIAA championships. A WPIAL runner-up, losing in overtime, last spring, he finished eighth in the state twice.
That level of wrestling and consistency has earned Grape attention among Division I college recruiters. Grape has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at Lehigh University, although he also received offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech and Pitt, along with Ivy League schools such as Columbia and Brown.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are ranked No. 11 in the NCAA. Plus, they feature the Caruso Wrestling Complex designed specifically for the team with coaching offices, medical space, locker rooms and a state-of-the-art training space.
“First, Lehigh is a great academic school,” said Grape, who maintains a 3.69 GPA and plans to pursue a career path in business or engineering. “I wanted to get a good education, but I also wanted a school that had a good balance between academics and athletics.
“Lehigh is very competitive and I wanted an atmosphere where I could get better and grow. Their coaches are great and their facility is just for wrestlers whereas most schools care more about football. My goal hopefully is to help Leigh become a national champion one year.”
In 2017, Grape wants nothing more than to be a PIAA champion. His primary opponents will be Jake Woodley from North Allegheny, Colin McCracken from Waynesburg, Zach Carcy from Fox Chapel and Luke Petruzzi from Thomas Jefferson. Currently ranked No. 1, Woodley won the 182-pound weight class at the 2016 state championships.
“Last year, I didn’t get what I wanted,” Grape said. “I know what I need to do. This summer, I made a game plan. I got a lot stronger, worked on some of my moves, tried to correct some things so I could be ready.
“I have a good shot at taking that title so it’s time to get serious now and win a state championship.”