Hard work pays off for Kamiakin wrestler Nick Little

Sitting on the stairs outside the Kamiakin wrestling room Wednesday afternoon, Nick Little took a little time to reflect on his four-year career with the Braves.

“It’s a little sad that it’s coming to an end,” Little said. “Today is my last practice in this room as a high school wrestler. Then I will be graduating and moving on. It’s weird to think about. I don’t know how that will affect me. Wrestling has taught me work ethic and to work hard. I know I’ll be OK.”

Little (23-6), who won his second consecutive 285-pound regional title last Saturday, is the top-ranked man in his weight class going into Mat Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

He knocked off top-ranked Markus Robinson at regionals to leap frog the Rogers heavyweight in the rankings. Little will open the state tournament against Micah Freeman of Cleveland.

“It’s exciting,” Little said. “It’s my senior year. Every year I have moved up through the ranks, and each year I have gotten further. I went to district as a freshman, got to regionals as a sophomore and I was fourth at state last year. I would like to win this time around.”

And he’d like to lead the Braves to the podium to accept a team trophy.

“Our team has improved over the years,” Little said. “Hopefully we can place as a team this year at state. It has been a while for Kamiakin High School.”

The Braves won a state team title in 1973. But in the 42 years since, they have placed as high as fifth just once, in 2004.

“It would mean a lot if we could place as a team,” Kamiakin coach Jordan Anderson said. “But to see Nick on top of the podium, that would be the cherry on top. He is such a special kid. He has so much heart and emotion — he’s contagious to the others. He will be hard to replace because of his leadership and how humble he is. Without Nick, we would not have the success we have had.”

Little will be joined at state by teammates Austin Almaguer (106 pounds, 39-4 record), Riley Gurr (113, 41-0), Sione Halo (145, 35-7), Jacob Lawson (160, 27-8), Zach Borisch (170, 14-5) and Hayden Larson (220, 13-20).

Anderson said Larson is state bound because Little, as a his sparing partner, has pushed him to become better.

“Nick has gone through seven or eight workout partners over the years because they quit,” Anderson said. “Competition breeds competition, and that’s what we have in this room. Hayden is the only one who has stuck it out, and now he’s going to state. That’s the affect Nick has on the other guys.”

When he was between partners, and even now, Kamiakin assistant coach Alex Sligar would pair up with Little.

“In four years of battling him, I’ve gone from being able to beat him to not so much,” Sligar said. “He has broken so many guys because they won’t rise to his level. When you don’t, he will punish you. He is not going to slow down. He is going to get his work in. He is a great leader, and he’s not going to short-change himself.”

And, he will push himself to limits that other big guys won’t.

“He climbed the rope to the top — twice — yesterday,” Sligar said. “We joked he’d pull the bolts out of the ceiling. His work ethic is unmatched.”

Unlike Almaguer and Gurr, who have wrestle almost all year around since they were in grade school, Little didn’t hit the mats until seventh grade at Desert Hills Middle School.

“I heard wrestling was a good way to stay in shape for football,” said Little, a first-team all-Mid-Columbia Conference offensive lineman. “When I first started, I didn’t really know what I was doing. My middle school days weren’t really good. Coach Miguel (DeLeon) brought me up through the middle school ranks and taught me a lot.

“My freshman year I wrestled 220 and the guys were faster, and I didn’t have much technique or strength. Football is my favorite sport, but I’ve gotten to like wrestling more and more, and it turns out I’m pretty good at it. I’ve learned more technique as I’ve gotten older.”

Little is in the middle of the heavyweight spectrum, which allows wrestlers to weigh up to 285 pound (with a two-pound growth allowance). Little weighed in at 255 pounds at regionals, but he uses his 6-foot-2 frame and his size-17 feet to his advantage.

“I wear them down,” Little said of his larger competitors. “I’m not the biggest or the smallest. Last year I think I was a little undersized (240 pounds). I spent time during the summer getting bigger and stronger.”

Getting a handle on his technique also has helped.

“Seeing where he has come since he was a freshman until now is amazing,” Anderson said. “He was 220 pounds as a freshman and got beat up a lot. Once he began to grow into his body and strength, then he grew into the stud he is today. He is where he’s at because of his hard work.”

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This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Hard work pays off for Kamiakin wrestler Nick Little."