Ephrata's Ducksworth at Grand Nationals
BUTTE, Mont. — Ephrata youth wrestler Deion Ducksworth is part of the Washington State Schoolboy team participating in the AAU Grand National Wrestling Championships that begin Wednesday.
Ducksworth, a 225-pounder who will be a freshman at Ephrata High School this fall, just finished a successful stint at the National Schoolboys Dual Meet Championships, June 6-10 in Indianapolis. Ducksworth finished 11-2 at the meet and was a key contributor to Washington's team that took third place in the Greco-Roman division and fifth in the freestyle division.
PJ Anderson, Ducksworth's coach with the Ephrata Wrestling Club, said the 13-year-old is a resilient kid who's been grappling with the club for the past five years. Ducksworth had a terrific 2007 spring season, going undefeated through Ephrata's three-month season that included several stops throughout the eastern Washington circuit. His first two losses of the year didn't come until the national event in Indianapolis.
"He's a tough kid — he sticks with it," Anderson said about Ducksworth's keys for success. "He doesn't give up. Wrestling can be tough at times. He's put in a lot of time."
The Grand National event, which begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday at the Butte Civic Center, should be the ultimate gauge of Ducksworth's talent and versatility. The event, which prides itself as "the oldest wrestling tournament in the U.S.," features Greco-Roman, freestyle and folkstyle events. Ducksworth will compete in all three.
"He's kind of figuring out which is his favorite," Anderson said. "Greco is becoming one of his more favorite styles, but we haven't done a lot of that in the room (with Ephrata's club)."
Anderson, Ephrata High School's head coach, figures Ducksworth will step right into action for the Tigers' varsity squad this winter.
"We're looking forward to him coming in," Anderson said. "It'll be difficult for him wrestling those heavyweights as a freshman because he'll be up against mostly juniors and seniors.
"I think he'll be able to stick with it," he added. "I'm not too worried about him."