Elijah Conel inspiring others on the mat

Feb. 15—SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — It's not everyday you see a wrestler come off the mat after getting pinned feeling as good as Blake French did last week.

French, a 12-year old from Conneaut and wrestling for the Cougars youth team, had just spent a few minutes on the mat against Elijah Conel, 15, who has been dealing with cerebral palsy his entire life.

French was happy to step on the mat with him and had no problem with Connel turning him for a second-period slap of the mat that brought both benches, not to mention everyone in attendance at Lakeside High School, to their feet cheering with delight.

"It was awesome," French said. "I loved to see him smile."

He's not the only one.

Conel may have been born with cerebral palsy, but he comes from a family known for their wrestling.

His uncle, Kyle Conel, won a Division I state title at 195 pounds as a senior at Lakeside in 2014, before becoming an All-American at Kent State. His younger brother, Aaron, who is currently in sixth grade, is enjoying success as a youth wrestler.

The fight and willingness to compete that drove others in his family is driving Conel as well.

Cassandra Foster, Conel's mother, said he sees no reason to let cerebral palsy stop him from getting on the mat the same way others in his family have.

"No, no, no," he said, shaking his head.

Conel's physical limitations may prevent him from having the type of success others in his family have had, but, when it comes to inspiring others, he seems to have all of them beat.

"He's been to every practice, he motivates his team," Ashtabula Lizards wrestling Coach Bobby Shinault said.

Shinault said he was inspired to get Conel on the mat after seeing a blind child wrestle in a tournament at Painesville Riverside.

"He got out there and wrestled in a real match, and he won," Shinault said. "That was kind of the inspiration to me. That boy doesn't know me and I don't know him, but he impacted me. I have Elijah right here and he can impact so many people."

Just having him in the practice room alone seems to be making quite an impact.

"He's my little buddy," Shinault said. "He'll call his teammates out if they're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. As a coach, you learn each kid individually on what their abilities are and what their maxes are. Knowing what each kid's abilities are, you just want to see them reach their max potential."

Conel, himself, may not realize the impact he's making, but the wrestlers he share the mat with him do.

"He motivates all of us," said Eli Bartunik, a fifth grader at Erie Elementary in Ashtabula. "If he can go out there and do it, it helps me to know that I can go out there and do it too. If he can be a wrestler and not have the same things that everybody else does, that means everyone can reach their goals if they try hard enough."

According to Foster, Conel is not just reaching goals, he is shattering them. Yes, there are challenges and difficulties that he deals with.

"It's a lot," his mother said. "But, he is still pushing and fighting."

Wrestling is over now for Conel, the bout against Conneaut last week marked his final match.

But when it comes to inspiring others and showing the meaning of fight and determination, Conel and his mother will simply wait to see what opportunities present themselves.

"Being his mother, it's all about what's next. What journey is next for us?" Foster said. "We want to get the word out here to tell people to keep fighting, because what you're taking for granted, he wishes he was in your spot."

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