Over the past few winters, the
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) wrestling program heard a familiar refrain. It was something like: "You guys are good. Especially for a new program."
AJ Rees, Discovery Canyon.
Courtesy photo
It's safe to say the Thunder has shed the "new" label.
Unearthed in 2008, Discovery Canyon quickly ascended from 2A and 3A to its eventual full-time destination in 4A, where the program already has accumulated its share of state champions and milestones.
"I would say we feel pretty established," Thunder coach Ron Sukle said. "People know who we are and that we are going to come wrestle tough. The new feel has kind of worn off. We've put that away, and now we're just here to wrestle."
The Thunder already has produced three state champions (five total titles), including current seniors
AJ Rees and
Steve Turner. Rees, who recently committed to Division-I powerhouse Iowa State, won at 112 as a sophomore and 113 last season. He is wrestling at 120 this season.
Turner won at 120 last season and has bumped up to 132 this season.
Those two followed the footsteps of Nick Adams, who won at 112 as a freshman in 2008 and went 44-0 en route to a 3A crown as a junior (he finished second as a senior). He is currently wrestling for Northern Colorado.
"After our first senior class left and we kept getting better; that's when people really started to notice us," Rees said. "We don't have a lot of overly talented, super-gifted kids. We just have a lot of kids who have work really hard, and that's why we're able to win."
Buoyed by Rees and Turner, the Thunder recorded their second consecutive third-place team finish last season, trailing only Windsor and Pueblo South. Discovery Canyon finished seventh in the 2010 3A team race.
The consistent top-flight finishes each season means, yes, the program is an established piece of the state's wrestling landscape.
"Nick Adams winning his freshman year was big for us, but I think we started becoming not just a new school when AJ won his sophomore year," Turner said. "That's when I thought we transitioned into being contenders. We've been third the last couple years, and I think now we're really contenders, even more than we have been."
Turner hasn't decided on a college, but has been in contact with the Air Force Academy, among others. He was a member of the Discovery Canyon football team that went 9-2 this season and contributed 11 touchdowns.
Rees recently made things official with Iowa State, a marquee program that lends further credence to the legitimacy of how Discovery Canyon has rounded into form.
"Iowa State, they're loaded and I'm actually kind of nervous to go there," Rees said. "But that's always been my goal, to go to a huge school, and Iowa State has so much history. There's just so much potential with what they can do."
While Rees and Turner will receive plenty of attention as returning title-winners, the Thunder roster is loaded throughout.
Junior
Tyler Oberg went 8-0 at tournament in Albuquerque at 145 pounds and has been one of the Thunder's stars of the early portion of the season.
Adrian Mack, the Thunder's 170-pounder, was second at state last season as a sophomore and
David Traynor (195) finished fourth last season as a sophomore.
A handful of additional state qualifiers are back, including heavyweight Jackson Spalding and Tanner Reynolds (now at 113).
When one wonders how Discovery Canyon was able to establish itself so quickly, it all started with a shrewd decision Sukle made in the program's inaugural season.
"We were a brand-new school, and at first they were debating with us, saying they didn't know if we wanted to compete at a varsity level," Sukle said. "I said: ‘Yes, we do.' I was adamant about it.
"I knew we had to give these kids a chance to get to the state tournament, even though we only had 14 wrestlers at the time and only three with any experience."
Adams ended up winning the 112 title that year in 2A, and it has been all ascension ever since for Discovery Canyon.
"It's a big deal to set the right tone for our program. We're a good team and we're not getting into trouble or things like that," Turner said. "I just think the way our team is built, we accomplish something and we look to build, build, build some more."
