Ask Navy wrestling coach Cary Kolat about facing Army and his demeanor changes. If there was a pecking order of importance, it might look like this:

• Beat Army;
• Fight hard;
• Become a leader

“For the alumni, the biggest and most important thing for them is beating Army every single year,” said Kolat, who is in his fourth year at the Academy in Annapolis, Md. “They will let you know if you drop the ball on that one. After that, they’re concerned about the guys competing and always fighting — even if they’re outmatched. They want to see a wrestler in a Navy singlet fight and then they’re concerned about the leadership side that was taught to them before they leave here. 

“Beating Army is a big deal. It’s the entire school at every sport. It’s by design. I’ve wrestled my entire life. I’ve been in some big dual meets as a competitor and as a coach. This one is different from anything you can imagine. It’s designed for two military forces to keep each other sharp.”

Greco-Roman Olympian John Stefanowicz took it a step further. Stefanowicz — a proud Marine — was recently commissioned to the U.S. Naval Academy and was on hand for Navy’s wrestle-offs. 

The event was held side-by-side with Air Force versus Navy boxing matches. The matchups were held in conjunction with the Air Force-Navy football game the following day. It’s nice to beat another service academy but, for Navy, it’s all about beating Army. 

Good luck getting Stefanowicz to say something complimentary about Army. Even he admits his views about the rivalry are extreme.

“The Army-Navy matchup is at the forefront of everyone’s minds,” he said. “It’s nice to beat Air Force but Air Force is irrelevant. It’s about beating Army. I’ll gladly take a pay cut and stay a Marine than take a promotion in the Army.” 

Known as the Star Match, the Army-Navy rivalry, which will close out the upcoming regular season, on Feb. 16 in Annapolis, is the prototype of how wrestling can thrive. Build such a strong and deep-seated rivalry that it doesn’t matter how good the action is. 

The boxing matches were mediocre at best, but that had no bearing on the enthusiasm of the crowd. The entire facility erupted when a Midshipman got the better of a Cadet. The action is secondary to the outcome.

“We couldn’t have a conversation right now if Army was boxing Navy,” Stefanowicz said. “This entire place would be wall-to-wall people. You couldn't move."

Navy holds an all-time 55-10-5 dual record against Army, but Kolat has done his homework on the rivalry. He noticed times when Navy was heavily favored and a dual came down to one swing match. 

Every win over Army is highlighted inside the Navy wrestling room

Coaches get fired if they lose consistently to Army. Navy assistant Blaize Cabell joked that all their jobs are safe for one more year if they beat Army, but you could tell he wasn’t joking. This is serious. 

Kolat’s success formula is similar to other high-level coaches. The former two-time NCAA champion, two-time World medalist and 2000 Olympian is thinking about high-level World competitions and success at the NCAA Championships. If every wrestler on his team sharpens himself against the best, then the Army dual will take care of itself. 

That philosophy was reinforced by senior Grady Griess, a national qualifier at 285 pounds. He ranked winning the NCAA and EIWA Championships as his top priorities. 

“We’ll beat Army if we focus on winning national titles,” Greiss said. 

That’s likely true, but this rivalry is different. No one on campus can avoid the importance of downing the Black Knights. “Beat Army” is everywhere. It’s in the weight room. It’s on the back of shirts. It’s in promotional materials. 

“Navy kept Army sharp and Army kept Navy sharp,” Kolat said. “It’s a critical factor in all the academies. Competition, as they would say, makes warfighters. It's extremely important that you don’t drop the ball on that one.”

All-Americans and conference champions are the goal at Navy as long as you take care of one thing: BEAT ARMY!