Declan Meyer, a youngster who will be entering first grade in September, participated in Bismarck’s Gorilla Wrestling Camp this past Friday and Saturday. Having just completed his first year of competitive wrestling, Meyer was the state champion in the USA freestyle category in the six-and-under age bracket and also competed in the USA folkstyle championships where he suffered his only defeat of the season.

As it turns out, Meyer comes from a long line of area wrestlers who have sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears on the mat. Meyer’s father Mitch, who now serves as an assistant wrestling coach for Minot High, competed in the sport at the varsity level for the Bishop Ryan Lions. A 2004 graduate, Mitch Meyer was a two-time region champion and a second-place state finisher during his senior season at Bishop Ryan. Mitch’s older brother Lance and younger brother Brady also competed in wrestling during their time at the school.

According to Mitch Meyer, young Declan simply picked up a knack for the sport by attending Minot varsity practices with his father on a regular basis.

“I’ve been on the coaching staff for three years now, and Declan just started coming to practice with me and wrestling with some of the other kids that were there,” Meyer tells the Minot Daily News. “Now he’s just hooked on the sport. He’s a very active kid that plays soccer and does crossfit, but he really loves to wrestle.”

Mitch Meyer, right, seen in regional finals competition during his time on the Bishop Ryan varsity wrestling team in the early 2000s.

The Meyer wrestling lineage does not stop there. Mitch Meyer and his brothers were heavily influenced to take up the sport of at a young age thanks to the tutelage of their father Randy and uncle Ron. Both Randy and Ron Meyer were highly accomplished wrestlers for Bishop Ryan in the 1970s who went on to the collegiate level of competition.

Randy would eventually become a two-time national qualifier in the 132-pound weight class at Wahpeton’s North Dakota State School of Science in 1977 and 1978. After his college days, Randy stayed involved in the sport as a high school official for 42 years and was inducted into the North Dakota Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2019.

As for Ron, he was a state champion in the 132-pound division while at Bishop Ryan and enjoyed an undefeated season in 1974. Afterward, Ron wrestled at Bismarck State, then known as Bismarck Junior College, in 1975 and 1976. There, he was a national qualifier and conference runner-up in both seasons he competed.

Meanwhile, Mitch Meyer says he takes great pride in his family’s strong pedigree on the mat and looks forward to watching the development of his son Declan as he continues the multigenerational tradition.

“It’s really neat to be a part of this because Declan is so enthusiastic about wrestling. The individual aspect of the sport is so exciting because failure or success all up to you. The competition is so intense and the passion for wrestling runs in our family.”

Randy Meyer holds a pair of trophies during his high school wrestling career in the 1970s.