The ties that bind for some Washington High School wrestlers go deeper than being just teammates. For brothers Chase and Caden Greiner, wrestling for the Demons is about carrying on a family tradition.

Their father Mike was also a wrestler at Washington. He tells KCII that the sport is something that he’s been around for a long time, so it was only natural that his sons eventually found their way to the mat.

“I started wrestling when I was in first grade,” Greiner says. “I didn’t think that I started too early. Caden, I believe, started earlier than I did, he was in preschool, and Chase was in first grade.”

Greiner would coach his sons in their youth days through junior high. He says they had different initial reactions to wrestling.

“When Caden first started in kindergarten, he had no problem taking and grasping the sport. For Chase, [it] took a little more nudging [after] a little [bit of] butterflies in his stomach, so we came up with a little idea to give him some Pepto-Bismol pills [and say] ‘Hey, that will take care of your butterflies!’ And it worked!”

Getting past his nervous energy has reaped great rewards for Chase Greiner, who just wrapped up a brilliant career for the Demons this winter. Going 38-7 in his senior season helped Greiner cross the 100-win mark for his career, and he earned a trip to state last season. He says he owes part of his success to his dad and former coach.

“Back then,” he says, “in middle school [and] first grade, he taught us a lot of stuff. Just transitioning from middle school to high school has really helped a lot.”

Caden Greiner has also certainly done a good job upholding the family name to start his high school career, winning 71 bouts in his first two years, including 35 victories in his sophomore season and a state berth of his own in 2023. He says that trip to Des Moines is one he won’t forget any time soon.

“Just being at the state tournament together,” he says, “[and] watching each other wrestle at the big state is pretty cool.”

But, the biggest question remains: who’s the best athlete in the family? All three Greiners had the same answer.

“Probably Mom.”

Both Caden and Chase Greiner had third-place finishes at districts to cap off their final season as teammates at Washington.

Full Greiner Family Interview