It's rare for anyone from Florida to become a national champion in wrestling. Just ask J.D. Robbins. He's coached most of them in the last five years. 

 

But even his eyebrows raised a bit when two of his wrestlers finished on top of the nation July 4, another missed a championship by only two places, and they all had the same last name.

 

The Meeks brothers may very well be the answer to a prayer Robbins had said silently since his amateur wrestling club began to see declining scores in the last two years. 

 

For the JETS, a string of also-rans on state and national level stages could be over, he said. 

 

"They really look like the future of this program," he said. 

 

And if Dylan Meeks has anything to do with it, that future could extend a long way. He's not even in middle school and he's already a national champion in both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.

 

His older brothers Colby and Alton both stand poised to dominate in national competition for the rest of the year. At the Asics National Championships at the beginning of July, Colby didn't just win once, but twice, becoming a double national champion in both disciplines. 

 

Alton placed third in both disciplines, in heavily stacked brackets at the 160-pound weight class. That's hefty for a boy who hasn't even entered high school yet, hinting at a possible future in the 215- or 275-pound classes. 

 

But one of the boys' biggest challenges of their careers could already be upon them. By press time they'll be in Fargo, N.D.
Why would the boys and their JETS teammates travel to one of the coldest cities in the country in the middle of the summer? 

 

"It's the biggest national championship in amateur wrestling," Assistant Coach Tom Coffman said. 

 

The tournament brings together the best wrestlers from across the country, all hoping to walk away as an outright champion, or to finish in the top eight as All-Americans. For the Meeks boys, that'll be nothing of a formality with a national-level championship already within reach. 

 

And for college recruiting scouts, who rarely look as far back as middle school for their future wrestlers, it's time to take a look at a smorgasbord of the best talent in the country. They may just have to take a second look at the Meeks boys, even as other top-level wrestlers descend upon the Fargodome by the thousands. 

 

"It's the toughest tournament they'll go to this year," Coffman said. The JETS aren't unfamiliar with becoming national champions at Fargo, but it's still a rarity. The team averages less than two per year — more than most — but Florida is sending a contingent of more than 60 wrestlers. 

 

By next Thursday, the Meeks boys, along with teammate and current national champion Jayden Semrad, could be champions all over again.