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ESPN2 Documentary Reveals Emotion, Pride Surrounding Brandon Wrestling's 'Streak'
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Published: April 29, 2008
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They called it, simply, "The Streak," and it was the most remarkable record in high school sports.
For 34 years, the Brandon High School wrestling team went undefeated through 439 consecutive dual matches. Defying all odds, The Streak began in 1973 and kept going, becoming legend.
It bonded fathers who had wrestled for the Brandon Eagles with sons who carried on the tradition. It inspired school and community pride. It put Brandon on the map.
But it also carried a heavy burden. After decades of victory, no team wanted to be the first to lose. When that loss finally happened in January, it made national headlines.
To fully appreciate how winning and losing builds character, check out "The Streak," which debuts at 9 tonight on ESPN2.
This two-hour documentary tells the story of Brandon's longtime wrestling coach, Russ Cozart, and the members of the 2007-08 team.
"The Streak" was produced by a former Brandon student, Mark Consuelos, who says he used to walk the school halls in awe of the wrestlers.
"They were larger-than-life heroes to me," he says.
That was back in the 1980s, before Consuelos transferred to Bloomingdale High, played soccer for Notre Dame, took up acting and became soap opera heartthrob Mateo Santos on "All My Children."
"The Streak" is the first project to air from Milojo Productions, which is owned by Consuelos and his wife, Kelly Ripa. (The company is named for their children, Michael, Lola and Joaquin).
"I knew that the Brandon wrestling team would make a great story," Consuelos said in telephone interview. "They have an amazing record, Coach Cozart does such a good job, and the general public doesn't know how hard high school wrestlers work.
"And they do it without any big professional contract waiting for them down the road."
When production began last fall, no one could know just how dramatic the film would be. "I thought it would be another winning season, and it was in many ways," Consuelos said. "But when they lost that one match, the film took on a new dimension."
Much of the film covers how the team trained under Cozart and how various wrestlers tried to live up to the legend. "We have to win; we have no choice," Cozart says at the beginning of the documentary. "We set the bar high because we have a destiny."
Cozart's son Joey, a sophomore wrestler, tells of how The Streak has always been a part of his life. His older brother Rocky was a three-time state champion, and Joey sees "an enormous mountain" to climb to be the third Cozart to continue The Streak.
The drama builds with each match and each player's profile. Then cameras record January's shocker, when the team lost to South Dade High of Homestead. The coach had to face a moment he had dreaded for years.
"I felt bad for a lot of people who worshipped The Streak," Cozart says. "It affected everybody in this town."
He says the loss will be something team members will carry with them all of their lives. And it does weigh most heavily on Brandon junior Kevin Timothy, who couldn't save the team from defeat. "I never thought we had a chance to lose," he says, fighting back tears. "I gave it everything I had, and it still wasn't enough."
Cozart has to console his team, bring Timothy out of his depression and get the wrestlers ready for another state championship.
"They're going to be 60 years old and still remember that night of the loss, but I've got to give them something to finish the season on," he says.
TUNE IN TONIGHT
Shark, 10 p.m., CBS
To keep from getting disbarred for covering up a 1996 murder by a former client, Sebastian (James Woods) works with the state attorney general's office to nail an underworld kingpin.
American Idol, 8 p.m., Fox
The five remaining contestants get to work with Neil Diamond and possibly butcher some of his classics.
For more listings, go to TBO.com,
keyword: TV.
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