Coaches

• Coach Cory began his wrestling journey in the 8th grade after a friend encouraged him to try the sport. He attended his first practice at McKenzie River Mat Club, where what started as a challenging introduction quickly turned into a passion. His first season was tough—losing nearly every match—but it sparked a fire and determination that would define his career.
• Driven by a desire to improve and compete at a higher level, he set his sights on standing atop the podium like his more experienced peers. That mindset carried into his freshman year at Thurston High School under Coach Mike Simons. Wrestling at 150 lbs as a newcomer, he faced seasoned upperclassmen but committed himself to becoming the best version of himself through relentless hard work and dedication.
• Throughout high school, he invested heavily in his development by attending elite offseason camps, including Santiam Wrestling Camp (all four years), Oregon State University Wrestling Camp, Jay Robinson Intensive Camp in Susanville, California, and Ken Chertow’s Intensive Wrestling Camp. These experiences helped shape both his technical skills and competitive mindset.
• His hard work paid off during his junior year, when he captured a championship at the Reser’s Tournament of Champions, placed 3rd at the Reno World Tournament, and earned a #5 state ranking at 171 lbs. That season, he also won a district title, placed 5th at the Oregon 5A State Championships, and finished 2nd in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the state level.
• His senior year presented significant adversity when he suffered a severe knee injury during the Reser’s Tournament, requiring surgery. Prior to the injury, he was ranked #1 in the state at 171 lbs. Demonstrating resilience and determination, he returned to competition the day of districts. Despite limited conditioning, he dominated the tournament—pinning all opponents in under a minute, including a 1-minute victory in the finals. He went on to place 5th at the state tournament.
• In recognition of his accomplishments, he was inducted into the Thurston High School Hall of Fame. He also claimed state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, earned a spot on Team Oregon, and competed internationally in South Africa, where he placed 3rd at the Big 5 Tournament in Johannesburg.
• Today, Cory brings that same passion, resilience, and commitment to developing young athletes. He emphasizes not only success on the mat, but also character, discipline, and personal growth.
• His philosophy for Iron Edge is simple: Love God, love your family, stay true to yourself, work hard, and do the right thing no matter what—and your goals in life will be achieved.

Casey Krull’s wrestling journey began at a young age with the McKenzie River Mat Club, where his father, Dave Krull, served as one of his earliest coaches. Some of Casey’s favorite memories from those early years include pre-dawn drives to tournaments across the state—long before GPS—waking up in the car to find his dad pulled over asking strangers for directions while trying to locate schools in unfamiliar towns. Those countless miles on the road, traveling throughout Oregon and beyond for major tournaments, helped shape Casey’s love for the sport and the wrestling community. Casey continued his wrestling career at Thurston High School, where he was part of the 2002 state championship team that helped set the tone for what would become the powerhouse Thurston wrestling program known today. During his time at Thurston, Casey was runner-up at the Midwestern League District Championships as a freshman, then earned a district title and

placed 4th at the Oregon State Championships as a sophomore. He was also ranked #2 in the state of Oregon at 125 lbs during his high school career. His success earned him opportunities to compete on the national stage, including being selected

for elite national teams made up of top wrestlers from across the state. Casey traveled to Fargo, North Dakota for national competition, competed in National Duals in Greeley, Colorado, and qualified for a Cultural Exchange Team. Later in his high school career, Casey transferred to Mohawk High School. At the time, Mohawk did not have a wrestling program, so Casey and his father worked together to establish one from the ground up—creating an opportunity not only for Casey to continue competing, but for future wrestlers in the community as well. Casey went on to complete an undefeated senior season at Mohawk, culminating in a State Championship. After graduation, Casey remained with Mohawk Wrestling, serving as Head Coach for eight years. He eventually stepped away from coaching to focus on his growing family and spend more time with his son—who would soon become a wrestler himself. As fate would have it, Casey returned to coaching when his son joined McKenzie River Mat Club, and later his daughter followed in his footsteps as well. Casey then spent four impactful years coaching with McKenzie River Mat Club. Through those years, it became clear that the wrestling community needed more options to help athletes continue growing and reaching their full potential. That vision led to the creation of Iron Edge Wrestling Academy.

Today, Casey serves as President of Iron Edge Wrestling Academy and is proud to be one of the organization’s three Head Coaches, committed to building not only stronger wrestlers, but  stronger young people through discipline, hard work, and elite training. 

Coach Kyle Bressler  brings an accomplished competitive background and a lifelong passion for wrestling to Iron Edge Wrestling Academy. Kyle’s journey in the sport began at a young age, spending countless hours in the wrestling room while his father coached at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington. Growing up in that environment helped shape his work ethic and love for the sport, and he quickly developed into one of the top wrestlers in the state.

While competing for Decatur High School under Coach Mike Bressler, Kyle became one of the most successful wrestlers in the program’s history. He was a four-year letter winner and compiled an outstanding career record of 117–6 with 70 pins. Kyle captured two Washington State Championships at 189 pounds and finished his senior season with a perfect 40–0 record and 26 pins. During his high school career, he was also a three-time league champion, two-time regional champion, and a State Freestyle Champion. In addition to wrestling, Kyle was a multi-sport athlete who played soccer as well as  football,  becomming All-state reciever as, while excelling academically and graduating as Valedictorian of his class.

Following his dominant high school career, Kyle continued wrestling at the Division I level for Oregon State University. Competing for the Beavers, he earned national recognition as a two-time NCAA Qualifier and captured the Pac-10 Championship in 2007. Kyle also earned multiple All-Pac-10 Academic honors, demonstrating his commitment to excellence both on the mat and in the classroom while competing against some of the best wrestlers in the country.

Kyle’s experience at both the state championship and Division I collegiate levels gives him a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in the sport. As a coach—and a father to two young wrestlers—he is passionate about developing athletes both on and off the mat, emphasizing strong fundamentals, discipline, confidence, and a lifelong love for wrestling.

At Iron Edge Wrestling Academy, Kyle is committed to helping wrestlers reach their full potential of greatness not only as wrestlers but helping shape great young men and women. 

Mike Bressler is a highly respected wrestling coach and educator with a long history of success at the high school and collegiate levels. In 2016, he moved to Nebraska where he taught History and served as the Head Wrestling Coach at Elkhorn South High School until his retirement in 2024.

Prior to his time in Nebraska, Coach Bressler spent nearly two decades teaching and coaching in the Federal Way School District in Washington State. He joined the district in 1997 and quickly established himself as an exceptional coach and educator. His first teaching position was at Lakota Junior High School, where he taught History and served as the Head Football Coach, leading the team to a district championship in 1998.

At the same time, Coach Bressler took over the Head Wrestling Coach position at Decatur High School. During his tenure, he transformed a struggling program into one of the top wrestling programs in the state. Under his leadership, Decatur earned three regional titles, three SPSL championships, two SPSL Northwest Division titles, and one Central Division championship. Individually, his wrestlers achieved remarkable success, capturing eight state titles (including two two-time champions), producing 15 state finalists and 37 state medalists. As a team, Decatur finished second in the state twice and consistently ranked among the top ten teams in Washington.

Coach Bressler’s impact on the sport has earned him numerous honors, including being named SPSL Coach of the Year four times and Washington State Coach of the Year twice.

Before beginning his coaching career, Bressler was an accomplished wrestler himself. He was a four-year varsity athlete at the University of Washington, where he served as team captain, earned Outstanding Wrestler honors, placed second in the Pac-10 Conference twice, and qualified for the NCAA Championships twice. As a high school athlete, he was a two-time Washington State Champion at 190 pounds, finishing with an impressive 86–5 career record. He also won state Greco-Roman and freestyle titles and placed fifth at the national championships.

In recognition of his tremendous contributions to the sport, Coach Bressler was inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association (WSWCA) Hall of Fame in 2019. 

Simply put, Coach Bressler brought a standard of excellence in wrestling to the Federal Way School District and to the state of Washington, leaving a lasting impact on the athletes and programs he helped build.

 Coach Mike cant stay away from the sport he loves so much,  he often makes multiple appearances during regular season in helping with practices. As a lifelong coach and educator he is a big asset to have in the room helping teach our coaches how to breakdown drills and techniques. We are happy and honored to have Coach Mike here at Iron Edge Wrestling Academy.