DeShazer wins two national wrestling titles in only second season

Last year, Jace DeShazer joined a sport that doesn’t always receive glamorous attention. But when you’re this good, it’s hard not to get noticed.

DeShazer, 7, began as a new wrestler in the 2012 season, competing in Pee Wee Wrestling. A year later, and he is already a national champion - twice.     

“I thought he might have been a little too young, but he was so into it,” DeShazer’s father, Doug, said about his son’s first season.

In his first season under coach Bill Mo, DeShazer finished with an undefeated record.

After taking first place at the state wrestling tournament in Kalispell, DeShazer’s father bought him a small, used mat for practice at home. DeShazer said he was excited to practice in the off-season with his brothers, Luke and Tristan.

“They help me know what to do, and he helps me with my wrestling moves,” the soft-spoken 7-year-old said Monday during an interview with The Western News.

DeShazer said his brothers helped him greatly in the off-season by practicing moves that prepared him for the 2013 season. While battling the flu, he took third place at state.

After the season was over, DeShazer began pushing his abilities further once he joined an intense practice schedule four days a week with volunteer coach Mike Puckett.

 “Jace is part of a young nucleus of boys that have really shown that they want to put in the extra work to do something significant in the sport of wrestling,” said Puckett.

DeShazer’s extra work led him to the Viper-Quad-State tournament in Spokane, placing first in both freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions.

After training six tough weeks for the Spokane tournament, DeShazer and the young group training with Puckett buckled down for another intense six weeks of work to prepare for the AAU grand national tournament in June in Billings. Again, DeShazer took first in both the Greco-Roman and freestyle divisions. This time, however, he added a second-place finish in the folkstyle division, losing by two points in the finals.

 “These boys went above and beyond, and they made tremendous leaps and gains,” Puckett said. “I hope I’m still alive when these kids are senior wrestlers, because I believe we’re going to have some national-ranked greatness out of these kids.”

DeShazer said he is already holding goals for himself in the upcoming 2014 season, including taking the Little Guy Wrestling state title.

For now, he enjoys playing soccer, basketball and baseball with his friends, while continuing the wrestling training at camps, as well as against his brothers at home.

 “They have some pretty big battles,” DeShazer’s father joked.