Alcona’s Slava Belychenko wrestles Rogers City’s Austin Bielas during a 160-pound match. In its first season as a varsity program, Alcona is focused on building a foundation and steadily improving under head coach Jeff Dameworth.

LINCOLN — In the midst of watching last year’s NCAA wrestling tournament, Jeff Dameworth couldn’t resist texting Alcona superintendent Dan O’Connor.

“I started texting him in the middle of it and told him, ‘We need to get one,'” Dameworth said. “I was all pumped up and he said ‘Let’s talk.’ That’s what we did and the rest is history.”

The “one” to which Dameworth referred to was Alcona’s first varsity program, something he’s been lobbying strongly for for many years. As a successful wrestling coach with more than 20 years of experience, Dameworth has seen the impact wrestling can have at even the smallest of schools.

Dameworth’s dream became a reality this season as Alcona finally has a wrestling program. Alcona’s program joins many with long-standing histories in Northeast Michigan including Tawas, Oscoda, Whittemore-Prescott, Onaway, Rogers City and Alpena.

Can a first-year program eventually become good enough to compete with those schools?

Dameworth certainly thinks so and he’s eager to impart his passion for the sport as he builds Alcona’s program from the ground up; another goal he’s always had as a coach.

“I’ve been talking to Dan O’Connor for years through e-mail, saying ‘Hey, we need to get a wrestling program here. We’re the only one in this area that doesn’t have one,'” Dameworth said.

With a group of six wrestlers that includes a first-year sophomore, a foreign exchange student with an MMA background and a sophomore team captain with youth wrestling experience, Alcona’s varsity squad is short on experience but eager to learn.

It’s just the way Dameworth wants it. The Tigers won’t take any opponents by surprise this season, but as a first-year program this year is all about learning the basics, learning something from each match and improving day by day.

“I don’t want them to be discouraged. They’re just learning. I don’t want them getting frustrated. I told them, ‘You’re going to take lumps your first couple of years. It’s that simple,'” Dameworth said. “Wrestling is a sport that people have wrestled all their lives and there’s always going to be somebody better.”

Nearly every aspect of Alcona’s program has been a work in progress. Practices, which began late last year in the cafeteria on borrowed mats from Alpena, saw just a few varsity wrestlers sharing the mats with middle school-aged grapplers as Dameworth showed them basic techniques. New wrestling mats and basic wrestling equipment including singlets and headgear eventually came courtesy of community and online fundraising efforts.

But the response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. The stands were largely filled when Alcona hosted its first meet on Jan. 8 and Alcona’s wrestlers, both varsity and youth, expressed enthusiasm about getting to finally lock up on the mats.

“They didn’t want to stop. I had several (youth) wrestlers asking me if they could have another match, so I was very happy about that,” Dameworth said after the meet. “The support tonight was great to see. I was kind of nervous about it, but it was great to see all the parents come in and watch.”

A GOOD OPPORTUNITY

Sophomore Jasmine Magalski holds a rare distinction in the annuals of Alcona wrestling.

Though she never wrestled during Alcona’s first home meet, her hand was raised in victory twice as she became the first Alcona wrestler to earn an individual dual meet victory.

As a WWE fan growing up, Magalski has enjoyed wrestling and was excited to join Alcona’s team.

“It’s a different sport. You don’t know what’s going to happen in a way. You don’t have an object you’re playing with, it’s interesting (because) it’s all in (what you do),” Magalski said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for me and I’m glad it’s here in my sophomore year, so I can continue it.”

The same is true of Slava Belychenko, who’s had quite the adjustment to high school wrestling.

The foreign exchange student from Ukraine came to Alcona with an MMA background and said the most challenging part of taking up wrestling is having to learn new techniques while trying to refrain from some of the more aggressive moves found in MMA.

“For me wrestling is a little hard because there are different rules. (In MMA) we use more grappling, so I can choke, I can break (an opponent’s) arm, I can break (an opponent’s) leg. I cannot do those things in wrestling,” Belychenko said. “I still have habits from MMA, so that’s why it’s hard to adjust, but it’s getting better and better every day.”

The most experienced of Alcona’s varsity wrestlers is sophomore David Williams, who started wrestling at five years old in Oscoda to follow in the footsteps of his older brother. Williams has been able to improve his technique from playing football in the fall and will be counted on by Dameworth for leadership in Alcona’s first season.

“I think it’s pretty cool. It’s good to start new and teach kids new things instead of just sitting around,” Williams said of Alcona’s program. “It just gets the adrenaline going.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE

The Tigers may take some lumps this season, but the future could be very bright for the program at all levels.

Alcona has averaged 20-25 kids per practice and hosted more than two dozen youth matches during its home meet. At the high school level, Dameworth is hoping to have close to a full varsity lineup next season with an influx of freshman. Several athletes who play other sports already have also expressed interest in wrestling.

Alcona may be starting from square one, but the Tigers are focused on building a solid foundation to eventually become a program that opponents won’t be able to beat so easily.

“I remember going against a team in Thatcher, Arizona, a small school of 300-400 students like Alcona and they had 100 kids wrestle and they were one of the toughest teams we faced,” Dameworth said. “For the first year (wins and losses don’t) matter. Let’s get out there and get going. I’ve told them, ‘You’re setting school records. You’re starting off something great.'”