Carson wrestlers have plenty support

Carson wrestlers have Blue support

Dave Price

Dean Schmanski had a couple of goals in mind when he took over as head coach of the Carson High School wrestling program at the start of the 2002-03 season.

One, he wanted Carson to have a successful program that would contend for championships year in and year out. But first, he regarded support of the families of the wrestlers and of the community as a whole as all-important.

"I've always said, when you get the parents behind the program, you're going to have a successful program," Schmanski said.

Mission accomplished.

Carson won the Northern 4A Regional Tournament championship this past Saturday - the school's first since 1989 - and did so in front of a sizable following of fans inside The Brickhouse at Sparks High School.

Then again, the fan support has been evident all season long. No matter where the Senators have competed - whether in Reno, Minden or even the Bay Area - they have seen a lot of familiar and supportive faces in the stands. And it has made a difference for the Senators, who have won four tournament titles.

"The crowd support is always nice," said senior Nick Shine, a regional gold medal winner in the 215-pound weight class. "You look up there and see all the blue, it's just nice to know your family and people in the community care about the sport."

Schmanski echoed that.

"There's always a lot of blue in the room when we wrestle," he said. "Even when we went to the Bay Area for the Albany tournament, we all went out to dinner afterward and we needed a table for 35."

The fans made for an exciting atmosphere Saturday in Sparks.

"It was a great tournament, right down to the wire," said Schmanski, whose Senators edged defending champion Fallon by 10 points for the title. "We have a nice rivalry with Fallon; even when we were announced as the winners, the Fallon crowd cheered for us, so it's a friendly rivalry and one I think is going to continue for a long time."

"I can't remember when zone has had that many people. It was pretty exciting," Shine added.

Schmanski described the regional championship as an all-around effort.

"This was a victory for all 28 of the wrestlers in this room, not just the ones who wrestled in the tournament," he said. "Those guys pushed each other hard all season long ... that's what helped us get better and better."

For Carson, the support has shown growth even from last year.

"Last year, we had 80 people at our banquet at the end of the season. This year, we already have 130 scheduled to attend our banquet," Schmanski said of the team's awards dinner, which will be held Feb. 19 at Carson High School.

But first, the Senators are looking forward to their trip to Las Vegas for the NIAA 4A State Tournament, which will be held at Cimarron-Memorial High School on Saturday. Eight Carson wrestlers qualified: Owen Craugh at 103-pounds (though he only weighs 85) with a 30-12 record, Robbie Bozin at 112 pounds with a 27-14 record, Eric Aguilera at 125 pounds with a 35-9 record, Travis Lamborn at 140 pounds with a 37-10 record, Joe Roman at 171 pounds with a 42-6 record, Chris Ceccarelli at 189 pounds with a 42-7 record, Shine with a 46-3 record (132-25 for his career) and heavyweight Jason Klug with a 33-11 record.

And you can bet there will be no lack of blue in the stands.

Dave Price is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal