Cliff Kraisser took to the wrestling mat in 1983, driven to win his first state title as a senior at Centennial High.

After his hand was raised and his ultimate goal in the sport was achieved, there wasn’t much celebration. Kraisser says that wasn’t done much in those days. So for him, it was a quick smile and a satisfying thought: “I did it. I finally did it.”

At the time, Kraisser had no idea that he had laid down a monumental foundation that still carries weight four decades later.

Starting Thursday, the 12-year coach will be in the corner for the last of his five wrestling sons, Calvin, who will sport the Centennial singlet for the final time at the Class 2A/1A wrestling tournament at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro. Calvin owns a 39-1 record as a top seed in the 150-pound class with the goal of becoming the ninth in Maryland public school history and third in the family to win four state titles. The Kraisser family, including dad’s title back in his day, have 15 championships.

With all the hard work in the practice room complete and the strategy locked in place, Calvin will take the same approach that he and his older siblings — Brian (2010 Centennial graduate), Nathan (2012), Austin (2016) and Jason (2019) — have always followed.

The Kraisser way — persistently implemented by Cliff and his wife, Kerri — is basic: Work hard and do your absolute best. On the mat, that means not stopping until the final whistle.

“I’m trying to stay the same as every year,” Calvin said as the postseason tournaments approached. “Going out there and doing the most I can, the best I can. And even if I come up short, I still know that I did my best. I’m practicing as hard as I can, so I’m going to try my hardest and hopefully it all comes out in my favor.”

In becoming the state’s first family of high school wrestling, the Kraissers display love for each other and that shared passion. Driven by faith, the sport doesn’t define them, but it has helped them succeed in all facets of life.

During his childhood, Brian, the oldest sibling, wanted to be just like his dad, and when he quickly took to wrestling, Nathan was right behind. Next came Austin. Then Jason. And, finally, Calvin was the last of the beneficiaries of the older brothers’ example and instruction. The family’s basement, a wrestling mat smack in the middle, was a mecca for polishing technique.

“We had a small mat that was perfect for us back then, a little larger than the center circle, which was just enough room to wrestle around,” said Brian, now 33. “I remember a lot of playing around down there when we were younger. Me being a little older than Nathan and Austin, I was kind of wrestling them at the same time and it was definitely a lot of fun. It was like ‘OK, I got one of them off me and now the other one is on my back, so I got to get him off, too.’”

The siblings’ combined accomplishments at Centennial include 14 state, 16 region and 18 county titles. Cliff, who first served as an assistant once Brian started his career, was by their sides to watch their hands being raised an incredible 727 times.

“I still get nervous before every match because it’s still 0-0 at the start of every one and they still got to go do it,” Cliff said. “And every time my kid has won a state championship, it’s not just ho-hum. It’s a great accomplishment. We like to stay humble and don’t like to celebrate too much, maybe a fist pump, but we’re really happy.”

In closing out his illustrious high school career, Calvin, who has committed to wrestle at Frostburg State, aims to join two of his brothers — Nathan and Jason — as a four-time winner in Howard County, region and state competition. Austin won four county and region titles to go with three state crowns. Brian got the ball rolling with two county championships.

While the brothers share core values such as a tireless work ethic, humility and consistent competitiveness, what makes them unique is how they managed to find their own identity on the mat.

“They’re all great individuals and they are just that — individuals,” said former River Hill standout Brandon Lauer, who went 111-0 in three seasons before getting into coaching. “And so the common thread in what they believe in and how they approach the sport and life in general is similar, but they all brought their own approach to how they prepared to find success. Nathan wasn’t worried about what Brian was doing. Austin wasn’t worried about what Nathan was doing. And Calvin wasn’t worried about what Jason was doing. They are their own people and always worried about what was in front of them for their own growth and development.”

The Kraisser name will be mostly remembered for the staggering win totals and extended run of titles representing Centennial. Nathan also hopes the way the family went about its work on the wrestling mat will be recognized.

“I hope our legacy is not just the dominance we displayed, but also the sportsmanship,” he said. “Win or lose, we always treated our opponents with respect. And we always had high expectations for ourselves and what we looked to accomplish was not necessarily the outcome of a match, but our performance within the match and always putting forth our best effort.”

With work still ahead for Calvin this weekend, Cliff isn’t ready to reminisce on all the times his boys made him proud. But he does look back with gratitude.

“How many dads of high school kids get to spend two hours every day with their sons? I was able to for all my kids,” he said. “I just appreciate it and I’m so glad for that. It’s really cool and I’m happy to have that opportunity.”

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