If you’ve ever attended youth sports events in Lovelock, you may have noticed a pattern. The Pershing County Mustangs show up to mentor the younger athletes.
It could be football, basketball or wrestling. It doesn’t matter.
According to athletic director Mike Brooks, mentorship has always been an integral part of the program.
“It’s amazing to watch the older kids help the younger ones,” he says. “They love the high school athletes.”
Wrestlers rock and roll
The PCHS wrestlers helped last year’s Tah-Neva tournament run smoothly – not a slam dunk when 60 beginners show up ready to rumble.
Wrestlers start learning the sport at five-years-old or younger. Kindergartners through fifth-graders compete in the annual tournament.
The high school athletes referee while the girl’s basketball team keeps score. A core group of parents rounds out the volunteer effort. Everyone troubleshoots.
“The kids are always fun,” says Brooks, who also coaches wrestling and football. “They haven’t experienced a lot of wrestling and are excited.”
Basketball
bounces back
Over 50 Pershing County hoop players attend a two-day basketball camp at the high school every spring.
The hosts reserve the morning for Kindergartners through third-graders. The fourth through eighth- graders go to the afternoon session.
“Most of our high school players work with the kids,” said Coach Lee Houston after last year’s camp. “They earn community service hours and get to teach what they’ve been taught.”
Seasoned athletes, like Senicka Happy, drill the youngsters on shooting, footwork and other fundamentals.
Later, they make sure everyone gets a helping of ice cream, a tee-shirt and a basketball to take home.
Football fun
So many kids attended the Lovelock Youth Football Camp last year that they ran out of souvenir tee-shirts.
A record-breaking 130 boys and girls showed up to Yanni Field.
“We’ve grown to a huge number in the last few years since we switched to a nighttime camp,” says Brooks. “We love having all the kids out there.”
The high school football team carries the day. Alumni, like Dylan Hultenschmidt, also step up. Together, they make sure the younger players warm up with Jumping Jacks and stretches.
Last year, Colton Wanner taught Ryan Houston the mechanics of running with a football. At another station, Wyatt Diaz focused on footwork. Others demonstrated blocking and tumbling.
“I had a lot of kids show up to help,” said Brooks. “Nothing makes me happier than seeing the Mustangs give back.”
The coach misses the mentorship aspect of the sports program, another temporary casualty of the COVID-19.
“It molds kids and builds programs and relationships,” he says.
As soon as the NIAA gives the go-ahead, he plans to bring it back.
“It’s a ‘one town one team’ type of thing,” he adds. “They were those kids once,” he says of the high school athletes.
Senior basketball player Dalton McNeff sums it up.
“I always love helping out with any of the camps,” he says. “I love playing basketball anyways, and helping those young, energetic kids get interested adds a whole new level. Besides, there are some exciting young players in our community. I want to watch them grow up and blossom. I want to say I was part of that.”
