Charles Whisnand
False modesty in an athlete can be just as annoying as cockiness. Carson High's Nick Shine can't be accused of false modesty. But he can't be accused of cockiness, either.
Let's face it. Shine is the favorite to win the NIAA 4A state title in wrestling at 215 pounds. He has compiled a 43-3 record with his only losses coming to out-of-state competition at his two toughest tournaments this season.
He placed fifth at the Tournament of Champions in Reno, earning him All-American status. He also took second at the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno.
Shine's quest for a state title begins on Saturday at Sparks High in the Northern 4A meet.
"I definitely don't want to get overconfident because anything can happen," Shine said. "You can have an injury or you can get caught on your back. Confidence is good. Overconfidence is not good."
Shine knows he's the marked man in the 215 weight class. "They know who's No. 1," Shine said.
"People are going to be wrestling their best match against you. You don't want to take it easy. Everyone wants to see the upset."
The zone meet will set the tone for state to be held on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Las Vegas. "You want to get a good seeding to set you up good for state," Shine said.
But Shine laments the fact that he won't be able to win the state title against one of his chief nemesis. Two years ago as a sophomore, Shine took third at state, losing in the semifinals to Greg Gifford of Las Vegas High.
Last year, Shine lost to Gifford's brother, Chris, 8-4 in the finals at 189. But this year, Chris has stayed at 189.
Shine admits he thinks about what could have been if he had the chance to wrestle Chris.
"I think it would be more interesting to wrestle him," he said. "I think it would be more exciting to watch that than for us to be in different weight classes. I think about how much it would mean to win state against a guy that I lost to last year. That would be something else."
Carson can also be considered a slight favorite to win its first zone title since 1989, although Fallon could also really be considered a co-favorite. Shine said the Senators also know they're a target. "Every team, the are going to be coming after us," he said.
The Senators have finished ahead of Fallon in all three of the tournaments they have competed together this year. Carson placed ahead of Fallon at the TOP and took seventh at Sierra Nevada Classic - just one-half point ahead of Fallon.
At the Cardinal Classic in California, Carson placed second just 6.5 points ahead of Fallon.
"We've been duking it out all year just barely pulling off some wins," Shine said. "We're the top two teams in the North, I guess. Everyone's going to want to see Carson and Fallon go head to head."
The state meet figures to be a three-team race between Cimarron Memorial, Fallon and Carson.
"It will get interesting down there," said Shine about state. "I think if we wrestle our best then we can beat anybody in the North and the South.
"We're just going to work our hardest this week and next week. We've just got to wrestle hard."
It would obviously mean a great deal to Shine to help Carson win its first zone title in 15 years. "I'd like to see that banner in the gym to say, 'yeah, I was a part of that,'" he said.
Shine has a cumulative 3.4 grade point average and had a 3.6 G.P.A. last semester. He has combined with fellow seniors Eric Aguilera, Chris Ceccarelli, Joe Roman and Chris Moltz to post a combined 3.43 G.P.A. "We're not just athletes, we're students, too," Shine said.
It's virtually certain that Shine will compete in college either in wrestling or football. He said he has received a scholarship offer from Montana's Carroll College, the two-time defending NIAA national champions.
But Shine plans to wrestle in the National High School Championships this spring and will wait to make a decision after that event. He hopes a strong performance in that event will earn him notice from major programs.
Charles Whisnand is the Nevada Appeal Sports Editor. Contact him at cwhisnand@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1214.
