The name Land Bell will reverberate through the halls of Tallassee for years to come.
If it was not already known, Bell is one of the best wrestlers to ever take the mat for Tallassee. In his senior year, he went a perfect 57-0 en route to his third consecutive state title at 150 pounds. It was also this year that he broke 100 straight wins, being the first In Tallassee history to do so, and ended the year on a 135-match win streak.
“It's been three years since he's lost a match, which is unheard of in wrestling,” Tallassee wrestling coach John Mask said. “When you wrestle the people we do, and the number of matches we wrestle — to go 135 in a row without losing is just extraordinary.”
Bell is the 2025 Elmore County Wrestler of the Year, and even he was impressed by his own achievement this season.
“I don't even think words can just describe how I felt in that moment,” Bell said about his 135 match win streak. “Because, I mean, all the work I've put in, all the extra hours I've done, all the self practices I've had, all the times I've been in the gym by myself alone, it just all paid off. It's just, almost overwhelming, just how much excitement that it brings me.”
On the mat, Bell is just flat-out dominant and his record indicates it. He attributed his success to his work ethic and just how competitive he is.
“I got tired of losing,” Bell said. “I don't like to lose, I'd always had a dream of whenever I grow up, I want to be a state champion. Sometimes you got to make sacrifices and I gave up hanging out with my friends to stay after practice a lot. It just kind of just came from who I am. I'm a very hard worker and I strive to be the best at everything I do. Whether that's a math test, whether it’s an eating competition. Whatever it is, I just want to be the best at everything.”
Even someone like Mask, who has been at Tallassee for 25 years, understands how special of a talent Bell is.
“If you could build as an avatar, if you could create the perfect wrestler, I mean, that's Land Bell,” Mask said. “Because he's strong, he's quick, he's fast, he's very technical, he has knowledge of the sport.”
There were many instances of Bell’s historic year, but it was in one match in Florida against a nationally ranked wrestler that stood out to Mask.
“He was down with 30 seconds left by four points and had to come back and win,” Mask said. “So going to the beach and wrestling this guy from Florida, that was the best match I've seen in a while. And then he found a way to win, it was just amazing to watch.”
However, it's not just the mat where Bell shines brightly — he’s a leader first and foremost. He has been on the varsity wrestling team since he was in seventh grade, with many before him showing him leadership qualities. He took those lessons he learned as an underclassman to a focal point on the team for the past three seasons.
“Since I was an underclassman, I always wanted to push everybody and I wanted everybody to push each other,” Bell said. “And one thing led to another like, if you were slacking off in practice, I'd get on them. But if I was having a bad day, I’d want you to get on my butt. I've always wanted to hold people accountable, because not everybody knows their worth. If you're not willing to throw in 110% every single day, then I don't want you to start because I can't count on you. And this year, that's just something that our team did.”
Bell’s leadership trait not only draws praise for Mask, but he would also go as far as to say that’ll be emulated by the upcoming senior class.
“I will see wrestlers stepping up in leadership roles and really doing what Land did, they will fill the void” Mask said. “His legacy is that people will now step in, they know what he did and how hard he worked. So you will see people trying to be Land, you will see people trying to break his records. And to me, that's the best legacy you can leave behind.”
His wrestling career does not end in Tallassee, Bell will be taking the leap to college level at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, a Division-II school. It’ll be there that Bell plans to continue his successful career with high aspirations for himself.
“I want to be a collegiate national champion,” Bell said. “I hope to be an All-American my first year. But with that is going to come a grind and it's going to take a lot of work. This can take a lot of work and determination and a whole bunch of grit. And I'm excited for it.”
