WRESTLING: Starting young

Team Boulder builds athletes for high school

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The Boulder City High School wrestling team had another great season this year, and many of the talented Eagle wrestlers graduated from the junior high school wrestling program coached by Wayne Lawson from Elton M. Garrett Middle School.

Lawson teaches seventh-grade U.S. history at the middle school and is a junior varsity football coach at the high school.

"We started out very strong this season," BCHS wrestling head coach Kevin Ruth said, "and we've got a lot of great younger wrestlers. This is coach Wayne Lawson's third year of running the junior high wrestling program at Garrett, and he's sending us some really tough kids who know how to wrestle."

The new name of the organization this year is Team Boulder, which is a wrestling program for young men in the sixth- through eighth-grades who want to learn the basics of wrestling and how to compete. Team Boulder is not affiliated with Garrett Middle School, but is a support program to the high school wrestling team and works closely with Ruth.

"It's real fun to be on Team Boulder," Tyler Washburn said. "I love the wrestling and working on my moves."

The main goals of Team Boulder are to teach basic wrestling techniques, build character and provide a positive place for the boys to use their excess energy in a competitive atmosphere.

"I've been wrestling for two years now," Cade DeLangis said. "I love being able to pick the kids up and throw them all around, and finishing second at our recent tournament."

The team began practicing in early December, and its season runs through the end of February, with the state finals starting early in March in Reno.

"I used to wrestle in Green Valley," Frankie Badgely said, "so I was glad when coach Lawson started Team Boulder and I could practice right here. I hope I get good enough to make the high school wrestling team and compete for a state championship like my older brothers."

The high school provides Team Boulder with mats and equipment, and this year they are practicing in the gym at ABC Park. The boys practice three days a week, with one hour of weight training at the high school from 3 to 4 p.m., and one hour of wrestling from 4 to 5 p.m. at the ABC Park gym.

"I would like to thank Rick Rogers and the Boulder City Parks and Recreation Department," Lawson added, "for letting us use the ABC Park gym. It works out well for us and gives us a little home of our own."

The wrestling program has become very popular and there are 53 boys on Team Boulder this year, with six of them traveling from Henderson.

"It was cool to be able to cross-face my opponent in our recent tournament," Nick Hoffman said. "Our coaching is great, and one of the strongest parts of our team. I love the thrill of wrestling excitement."

Team Boulder has had only two tournaments so far. It hosted the first invitational of the season Jan. 13 at the high school, and six of the wrestlers finished in first place, while five earned second-place honors. More than 300 wrestlers crowded into the Eagles' wrestling rooms to take part in the competition. It was the largest tournament that the Southern Nevada Wrestling Association had ever organized.

"The boys did really well in their first tournament," Lawson said. "I was very proud of them as a team. I really have to credit the people of Boulder City with how well they do things here, and the community support."

The Team Boulder top wrestlers for the 2006-2007 season are: Nick Biaggi, Frankey Badgely, Steven Reed, James Morgan, Tyler Washburn, Cade DeLangis and Nick Hoffman.

"I really need to thank Kevin Ruth and the Boulder City High School administration for supporting our program," Lawson said. "People don't realize that these mats they let us use can cost $10,000 brand new, and the high school is letting us borrow two of them. We are also grateful to the high school for letting us use their facilities to host our recent wrestling tournament. The support we receive here is wonderful, and all the Vegas teams are jealous."

The other members of the 2006-2007 Team Boulder wrestling program are: Vaughn Ager, Luke Anderson, Alex Bennett, Troy and Tyrus Bishop, Joe Butler, Colby Dow, Chase Eastman, Justin Faulkner, Anthony Gabriel, Andrew Gonzalez, Forest Hanley, Bleu Huxford, Robby Jackson, Mike Perin, Doug Powers, Ramsey Reed, Billy Rotroff, Robert Sellers, Shay Severns, James Smith, Bryce Teepen, Nick Telles, Patrick Tilton, Johnathan Vandevort, Jake Walker, Jacob Wing, Alex Withers, Brandon Foster, Rudy Garcia, Chaz Isenberg, Brandon Little and Zach Moreno.

Team Boulder has had problems finding wrestling tournaments to compete in this year because Home Courts, which was the main location with the facilities to host tournaments, closed. Lawson is looking into the possibility of hosting more tournaments in Boulder City to give the boys as many opportunities as possible to hone their wrestling skills. The SNWA has two more big wrestling tournaments scheduled for February.

Some of the current freshmen who graduated from Team Boulder and are on the Eagles wrestling team are: Allen Haines, Shane Joseph, Steven Kaposta, Jake Mader, Timmy McKeever, Joseph Nunley, Danny O'Connor, Nick Pellegrini, Nate Sanders and Jake Thormodsgaard.