The Jefferson wrestling room doesn’t quiet down when practice ends. It just shifts into another version of family time. For the Lewis household, the Falcons’ program is a shared daily routine, with dad Cody Lewis leading as head coach while sons Jacob, Nathan, and Sean fill three different spots in the lineup.
That family connection showed itself last month at the Rebel Invitational in Willoughby, where the Lewis brothers helped turn a long Saturday into a memorable one. Freshman Nathan captured the 132-pound title, senior Jacob won at 138, and Nathan’s twin brother Sean added a third-place finish at 126.
Cody Lewis watched it unfold with a coach’s eye more than a father’s grin.
“It was good. They wrestled pretty good and did what they had to do,” Coach Lewis said. “Nate is still trying to learn how to wrestle at the high school level. It’s a lot to ask a ninth grader to wrestle 132 or 138, but he’s trying to learn how to wrestle at this level.”
The Lewis name has been tied to Jefferson wrestling long before the twins ever put on a singlet. Jacob began wrestling in second grade, and his dad quickly became involved at the youth and junior high levels, helping to build the foundation of the program he now leads.
“Jacob started in second grade, and I started helping out coaching the youth, and I was volunteering with the junior high because my goal was to hopefully help build a program,” Coach Lewis said. “Sean and Nate started to tag along a bit, and we’ve been together a long time now.”
That long-term approach mirrors Lewis’ own path in combat sports. While he describes himself as an average high school wrestler, his post-school years were spent immersed in grappling. He now owns the Relson Gracie Combat Club at SPIRE, where jiu-jitsu and MMA training shape much of his coaching philosophy.
“I was just an okay wrestler in high school, and now I own a jiu-jitsu and MMA gym,” he said. “I spend a lot of time grappling.”
For Jacob, the overlap between family and wrestling has only become more meaningful as a senior. A sectional runner-up last season, he’s now sharing a varsity mat with the same brothers he grew up drilling with at home.
“It’s been pretty fun,” Jacob said. “They’ve been growing up with me and wrestling the entire time, and finally being on the same team with me is really cool because I get to work out with my brother Nate, mainly because he’s closer to my weight, but having Sean with me too is fun.”
Jacob’s entry into the sport followed a similar path to his brothers, blending wrestling with MMA and jiu-jitsu at an early age before settling fully into the high school grind.
“I wrestled a little bit here and there in second grade, but I mainly started in third grade,” Jacob said. “I did a lot of MMA and jiu-jitsu when I was young.”
Ten years into his wrestling journey, Jacob feels steadier than ever, both in performance and mindset. He credits that to improved weight management, team growth, and simply enjoying the sport more than he did a year ago.
“They’re going really well,” Jacob said. “I think I’ve gotten better since last year, and I’m managing my weight a lot better. I’m having more fun this year.”
Coaching his own kids hasn’t come without challenges for Cody Lewis, especially with expectations rising during Jacob’s senior season. Still, he views it as an ongoing experiment—one built on trust, honesty, and plenty of mat time together.
“There are pros and cons,” Coach Lewis said. “Sometimes, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s a lot of stress and anxiety.”
As Jacob chases a state podium and the twins continue adjusting to varsity life, the Lewis family remains at the heart of Jefferson wrestling—proof that for the Falcons, success is being built one shared practice at a time.
