Derek Wellock wants to go out a winner

Derek Wellock has paid his dues when it comes to wrestling at Yerington High School. Now, he would like nothing better than to run the table and go out as a winner.

Wellock, a senior who lives in Smith Valley and attends Yerington on a variance that enables him to wrestle, is seeded No. 1 in the 171-pound weight class coming into the Northern 3A Regional Tournament Saturday at Fernley. And then he hopes to contend for a gold medal on Feb. 14-15 when the 3A state tournament is held in Winnemucca.

"I'm very happy with the year I've had," said Wellock, who has compiled a 42-5 record so far this season. "I've been working hard at it and now I want to go out No. 1."

Wellock is the defending Northern 3A champion at 171 pounds and currently listed No. 2 in the Northern Nevada Top 5 rankings, though he has beaten No. 1 Darrin Lewis of Fallon twice this season. He has won tournament championships at Douglas and the Lyon County Championships, and last weekend, he was honored with the Outstanding Upper Weight award at the Northern 3A Duals

At the conference duals, Wellock pinned six opponents in the opening minute and also pinned Dayton's Brian Irwin in the third round. Irwin is seeded second behind Wellock at 171 pounds coming into the Northern 3A tournament.

"He is tough," Wellock said of the Dayton wrestler. "I pinned him this last time, but I only beat him 5-0 at the Lyon County Championships (on Jan. 22)."

Wellock also placed sixth at the 98-team Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno on Dec. 27-28 and placed second at the Spring Creek Invitational on Jan. 18, where he lost in the finals to Joey Vail, a 2002 state champion from Minico, Idaho. The loss at Spring Creek was his first action after he missed 10 days due to a bout with chicken pox.

It's not the first time Wellock has faced adversity. As a junior, he missed the Sierra Nevada Classic because of a shoulder injury but went on to finish the season with a 36-4 record and second-place medal at the state tournament. He also placed fourth at the Northern 3A tournament at the end of an injury plagued sophomore-season.

Interestingly enough, Wellock was still in grade school when he was introduced to wrestling.

"My aunt Robbie (Grant) got me into a two-week clinic in Winnemucca," Wellock said. "Most of the guys who are on the Lowry team now were at that clinic, so we've all built some close relationships over the years."

When Wellock got to Smith Valley High School, however, there was no wrestling program available and he had to wait through his freshman year for a variance to Yerington. He received the go-ahead to wrestle his sophomore year at Yerington, though he was not allowed to participate for one full year in any sport that was available at Smith Valley.

It's made this senior season all the more special for Wellock, who has doubled and tripled up on his workouts with help from his grandfather, Jack Reneau in Smith Valley.

"I practice three times on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Wellock said. "I'll go over to my grandpa's at 6 in the morning to work out and then I have weight class and my regular wrestling practice."

Practices with his grandfather include working out with a 100-pound wrestling practice dummy. And on Sundays, he runs the five-mile distance from home to his grandfather's.

The extra work has paid off.

"Some of those other 171-pounders are stronger than I am, but my endurance has helped me win a lot of matches," Wellock said. "Being able to go as strong at the end as I do at the start makes a big difference -- I'm able to keep going when others are starting to suck air in the last period."

Wellock hopes the extra work will pay off the next two weeks. Looking ahead, he would like to wrestle in college. One option he would like to consider is Columbia University, a wrestling program that celebrated its 100-year anniversary this year.

His cousin, Carson High track and cross country standout Shanna Sparks, visited Columbia on an official recruiting trip last month.

"That would be fun if we both ended up at the same school," said Wellock, who carries a 4.0 student at Yerington. "I'll have to wait and see how everything turns out."