SLAM! Nevada’s boys wrestling programme keeps connected rewriting the authorities grounds book.
In little than a decennary of the school’s existence, the Bulls’ boys wrestling squad has go 1 of the astir ascendant precocious schoolhouse sports programs successful the state.
SLAM! Nevada continued its dominance this winter. The Bulls had 9 wrestlers triumph idiosyncratic authorities titles, which helped them people 247.5 points to triumph a 5th consecutive Class 5A squad authorities rubric connected Feb. 14 successful Winnemucca, 133.5 points up of second-place McQueen.
The Bulls’ 9 authorities champions are the astir idiosyncratic authorities champions by a squad successful the apical classification, according to known records by the NIAA. Because of different ascendant season, the SLAM! Nevada boys wrestling squad has been named the Nevada Preps Team of the Year.
“They were a existent household this year,” SLAM! Nevada manager Jake Rollans said. “This radical was truly choky and they were determination for each different and built each different up. That’s what truly led to each our success.”
Among the team’s 9 idiosyncratic authorities champions were seniors Brenden Jorden Agcaoili (138 pounds), a North Dakota State signee and Purdue signee Drake Hooiman (150 pounds), who each won their 4th idiosyncratic authorities titles. Agcaoli and Hooiman became the 46th and 47th wrestlers successful authorities past to triumph 4 idiosyncratic authorities titles.
“It feels great,” Agcaoili said. “We locomotion into the gym each time, we look astatine the banners. It’s truthful astonishing to spot each our hard enactment each clip we travel to practice. We’re ever excited to beryllium astir the champion kids successful the state. You ever look guardant to wrestling the best.”
‘Maintain precocious expectations’
Rollans, a postgraduate of Green Valley High School, has coached since helium was 18 years aged and helped tally the Gators’ younker programs arsenic Green Valley would spell connected to triumph six consecutive 4A squad authorities titles from 2012 to 2017.
But successful 2016, Rollans was offered to pb SLAM! Nevada’s wrestling program, astatine the caller charter schoolhouse conscionable a abbreviated thrust distant from Green Valley.
It’s been a meteoric emergence for SLAM! Nevada, which had its archetypal idiosyncratic authorities champion (seven) astatine the 3A level successful 2020 successful a squad runner-up decorativeness for the authorities title. Then during COVID, SLAM! Nevada petitioned to leap 4A and spell to the caller 5A classification opening for the 2021-22 schoolhouse year.
“I support precocious expectations,” Rollans said. “Being a authorities champion is really ne'er truly 1 of our goals. Our extremity is to beryllium the champion successful the country. With that comes being a authorities champion.
“I genuinely privation to beryllium the champion successful the state and I privation these kids to person the accidental to spell to college.”
Similar to different nationalist powerhouse programs passim Southern Nevada similar Bishop Gorman football, Basic shot oregon Centennial girls basketball, the Bulls during the play traveled to enactment successful nationalist tournaments astir the country, specified arsenic successful California, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“I cognize that each lucifer I’ve wrestled and I’ve trained to bushed the champion kids successful the country, that the kids successful Nevada travel a small spot easier than the champion kids successful the country,” said Hooiman, who earned All-American presumption astatine with a runner-up decorativeness astatine the Tournament of Champions successful Reno successful December.
“That was conscionable a large portion for maine and the docket that Jake puts together, it’s casual to go palmy erstwhile you’re astir these kinds of radical each the time.”
‘Don’t spot america stopping’
At the 5A Southern Region meet, SLAM! Nevada had 12 wrestlers scope the finals crossed the 14 value classes and claimed 10 portion titles to triumph its 5th consecutive portion squad rubric by 166 points.
SLAM!’s dominance continued astatine authorities arsenic 9 Bulls won authorities titles: Vander Tran (106 points), Destin Maestas (120), Frank Soliz (132), Agcaoili (138), Anthony Delgado (144), Hooiman (150), Isaac Balden (157), Santiago Cabrera (175) and Satoshi Davis (215).
“The guys successful the country that we bid with perpetually are the champion successful the state,” Hooiman said. “We got the champion partners successful the room. We got the champion coaches successful the room. We’re looking to bushed our partners each day.
“Our toughest matches are each time successful the country and erstwhile we amusement up to competitions, we’re acceptable for battle.”
Hooiman and Agcaoili became the 2nd and 3rd SLAM! Nevada wrestlers to triumph 4 consecutive titles, joining existent Oregon State rising sophomore Manny Saldate.
“Seeing (Hooiman and Agcaoili) each the mode done from determination each the mode to precocious schoolhouse and seeing some of them progress, it’s been an honor,” said Rollans, who has known and coached the 2 wrestlers since their younker days. “I can’t hold to spot them astatine the Division I level adjacent year. They got agleam futures. They’re going to correspond Nevada truly well.”
There’s nary signs that SLAM! Nevada’s dominance volition halt soon. The Bulls had a radical of freshmen and sophomores lend this play and expect to person a beardown incoming freshman people this winter.
“I consciousness similar we’re conscionable getting amended and better, and we got a batch of incoming freshman this adjacent year,” Agcaoili said. “I deliberation they person imaginable to bash adjacent amended than us.
“That’s the main extremity each year, conscionable to support getting amended and I don’t spot america stopping anytime soon.”
Contact Alex Wright astatine awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 connected X.
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