That’s the kind of workouts that Wright would make his younger siblings endure. Often, he would meet “Freezer” (Grigsby) and “Bam” (Bradley) at Trotwood’s middle school and work them until they dropped.
“I would always yell at them,” Wright said. “Anytime I’d come home, we’d condition or run outside or go to the gym. They hated it. One time Bam called me Major Pain.”
And probably a few more things out of Wright’s earshot.
Even if the then-middle schoolers didn’t, Wright already had grasped what was at stake. Both Nick and George were destined to be outstanding athletes like himself, and Wright wanted to make certain that they bought into his great work ethic.
Friday is the payoff for all that exercise-induced brotherly banter. Nick, a senior linebacker, and George, a junior defensive back, are two hard-hitting and highly recruitable reasons why Trotwood-Madison will play Maple Heights in the Division II high school football state championship game at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium (7 p.m.).
“I used to be so hard on them,” Wright said. “Hopefully, this Friday, when they do what they’re supposed to do, they’ll understand what I was trying to do or say, or what I was trying to show them and want to work even harder.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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