Why a Texas High School Football Coach Challenged a Player to a Wrestling Match

Those who know Brian Brazil know he loves his family, loves football and loves helping young players develop into stars at Hebron High School, located outside of Dallas. LSU freshman safety Jamal Adams and 3-star Arkansas offensive lineman signee/early enrollee Zach Rogers are the two most recent standouts he's coached.

Brazil (pronounced BRAZZ-ull) is one of the most respected coaches in Texas, and when it comes to thinking outside of the box to benefit his players, no idea is a bad idea. So when he randomly decided to challenge one of his strongest players to a wrestling match during offseason workouts, one question seemed to immediately pop up.

Why? Why would a 50-year-old man challenge a high school junior to wrestle with all the players and coaching staff watching?

In short, it's all about building team camaraderie. Brazil connects with his players like few others. The match, against 2016 defensive lineman Julian Harris, created a buzz that not only resonated around the Hebron campus but became a national story with the help of social media.

"I wasn't expecting how fast it took off," Brazil said of the video. "It wasn't anything planned; I'm just trying to find new ways to connect with the kids. You try to help build their confidence, and I thought the kids might get a kick out of it. It's funny when these things happen."

The challenge, Brazil said, even caught his coaches off-guard. Brazil is a former college football player who doesn't have any formal wrestling training.

"They looked at me like, 'Do what?'" he said. "I know one thing: The kids loved it. I think they would have been excited with either way it turned out."

The video concluded with Brazil pinning Harris, but it also featured Harris, a 6'0", 245-pound athlete, delivering an impressive belly-to-back move (with a smile on his face, 14 seconds into the video) on his larger head coach, who played offensive lineman at TCU in the 1980s. Harris is an under-the-radar athlete in the 2016 class still looking for his first big scholarship offer.

Something like this doesn't hurt him.

"He's kind of an unknown right now, so I'll be interested to see what this does for him," Brazil said of Harris, who will play on the defensive line out of necessity for Hebron but can also play inside linebacker, fullback and H-back because of his versatility.

"I'm not sure how it will play out, but I know that he's got a lot of ability. He's quick off the line, and he also has great skill catching the football. Like any kids, he's just got to hone that talent. If he does that and buys in to making the most out of his opportunities, he can be a great player."

Brazil is in his 16th year at Hebron. He's the only head football coach the school's known. Brazil was there when the school doors officially opened in 1999. His team won a state championship in 2005—in only the varsity program's fifth season—and did so by finishing the year undefeated.

Doing things out of the ordinary isn't new to Brazil or to Hebron. Back in August, Brazil was one of the coaches who took part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In October, Hebron executed an unorthodox onside kick that not only made ESPN but also has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube.

It's still early with the wrestling video, but entering Friday the video was viewed more than 230,000 times.

Brazil said he's received lots of positive feedback after local CBS affiliate KTVT-TV did a story on Tuesday. Brazil added that the challenge wasn't done out of malice or to show Harris up. If anything, it introduced the world to Harris, a strong player with a high ceiling.

"When he threw me over the top, I wasn't expecting that at all," Brazil said. "He's a strong kid, a tough kid. If you can do that to me, just imagine what he can do to others. Imagine what he can do on the football field."

Perhaps the highlight of the video was how Brazil and Harris hugged after the pin. Brazil said all of his football players year in and year out are like his own children, and he'd do whatever it takes for the good of them.

"It was all in fun, and it showed a lot of competitiveness and a lot of fire," Brazil said. "It was a good team-building experience. I'm just glad it's been a positive story for us. I just hope we keep it that way."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. Player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles