Baldwin ? When Baldwin High needed a wrestling coach in the summer of 1999, Kit Harris jumped at the opportunity, leaving behind the higher profile that came with two years as the head man at Class 6A Washburn Rural for what he termed “a great family situation.”

He should know. Harris spent four years as a Bulldog wrestler, finishing in the top six at the state tournament at 130 pounds in 1991. His older brother, Jay, won a state title at 132 pounds in 1987. Their father, Dan, took a turn as head coach during the 1988-89 season and now is the athletic director at Baker University.

“I think I owe so much of who I am to the experiences I had here as a youngster,” Harris said. “To come back to this place is ideal.”

It’s also the impetus to an interesting cycle in the Baldwin wrestling community. When Harris took over, the number of boys turning out for the high school program had dwindled to the low double digits.

Now, 30-plus is the norm, and family certainly has something to do with it.

Five sets of brothers dominate Baldwin’s 2005-06 roster, an 11-man band that, if early season results are any indication, should have the Bulldogs in line for their best team finish at the state tournament in the 36-year history of the program.

The Callahans (Alan and Kevin), Masons (Gabe and Josiah), Thurlows (Michael and Andy) and Cooks (David and Justin) each have contributed a pair of progeny, while the Kohns not only offer a pair of wrestlers (Michael and Will), but an assistant coach (Josh).

All that creates an ever-present air of intensity whenever the Bulldogs are in action.

Wrestling is a family sport at Baldwin High, with five sets of brothers competing for the Bulldogs. Pictured, clockwise from top left, are Michael Kohn, Will Kohn, Justin Cook, David Cook, Josiah Mason, Gabe Mason, Kevin Callahan and Alan Callahan. Not pictured are Andy and Michael Thurlow.

“That can make for a real exciting practice session when brothers are banging heads. Sometimes, we have to separate them,” Harris said. “But sometimes, they’re each other’s best training partners.”

The proof lies in the individual records turned in by some of those siblings this season.

At the top of the Baldwin lineup are the Callahans. Kevin, a sophomore, sports a sterling 19-1 record at 125 pounds, already a solid encore to last season’s fourth-place finish as a 119-pounder at the Class 4A state tournament.

However, by the time he takes the mat, chances are his younger brother has already helped stake the Bulldogs to an early lead. Alan, a freshman, is 16-2 in his rookie season as a 103-pounder.

“When you go out there and see him beat somebody, it makes you want to win,” Kevin Callahan said. “You don’t necessarily want to do better. You just want to win.”

The Masons share that same competitive mentality, and likewise give Baldwin another strong 1-2 family punch deeper in the lineup. Josiah, a senior, is currently 15-5 at 152 pounds. His younger brother Gabe, a sophomore, is 19-2 as a 160-pounder.

“Everybody else is supposed to be doing (a practice drill) to get the feel, and me and Gabe will be going live, getting it all out,” Josiah Mason said, giving credence to Harris’ comments about occasional sibling warfare.

However, such intensity also has its side benefits.

“While we’re working hard, we can start joking around about things that are going on at the house,” Gabe Mason said. “We work hard, but we don’t focus on it. It doesn’t get to us as quickly as it might.”

The Callahan-Mason quartet exemplifies the success Harris has had not only in reigniting the passion for wrestling not just at the high school, but within the Baldwin community. All four got their start in youth programs and had a solid foundation to build upon once they joined the varsity program.

The same isn’t true for the Thurlows, the third set of siblings to see varsity action this winter.

In just his second season of competition, Michael, a sophomore, has blossomed into a dependable winner at 119 pounds, chalking up a 15-4 record. Not bad for a kid who was apathetic about the sport as little as 18 months ago.

“It was nothing that I ever really considered until (Coach Harris) talked me into it,” Michael Thurlow said. “I didn’t really like it.”

However, Thurlow’s conversion has paid off twice over. In addition to his contributions, his participation caught the attention of his younger brother Andy who, as a newcomer freshman, is 0-5 in limited varsity action at 112 pounds.

“At home, when we’re sitting around doing nothing, I can ask him, ‘How do you finish this move?'” Andy Thurlow said. “That’s how I’ve learned a lot of moves.”

The remaining four brothers – the Cooks and the Kohns – include three freshmen and one junior who have been limited to junior-varsity action.

The fact that so many kids with the same surnames keep turning up on his roster is a constant reminder to Harris that he made the right decision six years ago in returning to his own family roots.

“I have complete buy-in for what we’re trying to do, by parents and kids,” Harris said. “It’s very exciting.”