|
WISD Public Information |
Thurston named ‘Coach
of the Year’ twice in one season
Jason Thurston has been coaching
wrestling at Waller High School (WHS) the last four years serving year
one as an assistant and the last three as the head coach for both boys
and girls divisions. The wrestling program began at WHS some 10 years
ago, but with Thurston in charge, they have seen the most success
especially on the girls side.
In wrestling there are two types of competition during a single
season which typically lasts from the first of November to the last
weekend in February. There are individual tournaments; think of them as
a track meet, individual athletes competing for the win and there is
dual competition; think of this as team competition as in a football
game, which team is superior.
This year alone, as a team the WHS girls were 16-1 in dual
competition and won the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association
(T.H.S.W.C.A) State Dual title. In individual tournaments they were
equally successful. Two of Thurston’s toughest senior ladies, Amanda
Kelso and Whitney Disotelle, are in the top five girls in the state when
it comes to number of match wins with 140 and 129 respectively; Kelso
ranks number two and Disotelle number four. The number of wins by each
of these two individually doubles the old school record of 62 total
match wins. After winning the State Dual title, the girls went on to
qualify seven to compete in the Region III tournament. Kelso, Disotelle,
and junior Meagan Fellers brought home gold; sophomore Shelby Fellers a
silver, senior April Parmigiani a bronze; and senior Courtney Bates
fourth place. All six qualified to compete in the UIL State Tournament
during the Region III Tournament. As a team they also won the tournament
over the 68 other 5A teams in their region.
It’s unmistakable, under the guidance of Thurston, the WHS girls
wrestling team has seen unsurpassed improvement and success. The girls
compete in Region III District 22-5A which includes Katy HS, Cinco Ranch
HS, Mayde Creek HS, Morton Ranch HS, Seven Lakes HS, and Katy Taylor HS;
arguably the toughest district in the state. There is no 4A division in
Texas high school wrestling so WHS competes with the best in 5A and
wins. Rival teams shudder when they see the Lady Bulldogs, led by coach
Jason Thurston, enter a venue with their trademark bight colored and
patterned socks pulled up high.
No other wrestling coach in WHS history has achieved what Thurston
has. Recognizing his accomplishments was inevitable. February 2, he was
chosen by his peers as the District 22-5A Coach of the Year and one week
later, on February 9, he was selected by the T.H.S.W.C.A. as the Region
III Coach of the Year. For this honor, he was recognized along with four
other region coaches of the year, on the mats during the State UIL
Tournament in Austin February 23.
Thurston attributes his success to his high school wrestling coach
Tony Policare who still coaches wrestling at Vestal High School in New
York. Policare is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at the
University of Buffalo in New York. He was a one time team captain and
most valuable wrestler with a record of 29-3-1 in career dual matches
and twice qualified for the NCAA Championships as a two-time finalist in
the Eastern conference regionals. Thurston himself has been wrestling
since he was in the eighth grade. He genuinely loves the sport and cares
for his athletes. He rates his most memorable moments as the glory
moments he sees in the eyes of athletes his athletes for example, in
2007 when Kelso beat her rival to place in the UIL State Tournament.
“It’s rewarding to see their success. It’s a blessing to coach
those kids,” Thurston said. |