Melekte Demdemyanos picks up emotional championship at Bulldog Grappler wrestling tournament

But Clark’s Melekte Demdemyanos isn’t your garden-variety wrestler.

Raised in a non-violent culture in Ethiopia, the 18-year-old was sheltered from contact sports and knew of only running and soccer as a child. He moved to America when he was 10 and didn’t begin wrestling until his sophomore year, unbeknownst to his parents.

His parents still haven’t seen him wrestle.

So, it came as no surprise when Demdemyanos became emotional Saturday, after defeating Green Valley’s David Kalayanaprapruit, 13-6, for the 120-pound title in the Bulldog Grappler at Centennial.

“Culturally speaking, we’re never taught to fight or any of that,” Demdemyanos said, wiping a mixture of tears and blood from his face after his win. “My mom is a very stringent Christian, and when she thought I was doing this, she thought wrestling or fighting in general was against our cultural values and our religious values. She was appalled by the fact I was wrestling, at first.

“You see me bloodied up, but I’m out there enjoying myself.”

Demdemyanos (28-5) said he was always a quiet kid, never said much and has always been non-confrontational. But once he was introduced to wrestling, he knew he wanted to pursue the sport he immediately fell in love with.

“At first I was begging them to let him try it, because he was begging me,” said Clark coach Hunter Weller, who also became emotional while speaking about Demdemyanos. “He’s an awesome kid. I always want him to do his best. He puts the time in, so I won’t say that he’s just natural at it. He’s done all this work in 2 ½ years.”

Demdemyanos said his mother didn’t learn about any of his achievements until she was going through a duffel bag he brought with him from Ethiopia and she found his collection of medals. His father still doesn’t know he qualified for the Division I-A (now Class 3A) state tournament last year, and doesn’t know his son, who is majoring in Finance in Clark’s magnet program, has been accepted into three colleges based on his academics: Colorado School of Mines, UNR and Grand Canyon.

“I’ve always had a supportive group of people behind me,” Demdemyanos said. “My friends … support me through everything. I have a great support system from my friends and coaches. Even though my parents aren’t there, and even when I don’t believe in myself, (my coach) has always been there for me.”

Last offseason he worked with Team Nevada, learning from other coaches and some of the valley’s top wrestlers. And with last year’s early elimination from the state tourney still stinging, he is even hungrier at the Class 4A level to get back into the postseason and qualify for this year’s state tournament.

“It’s all I think about, it’s what I want,” Demdemyanos said. “I’m a senior, so I keep thinking about my final match.”

And if that final match is for the state title, he said he’ll have no problem shedding a few more tears afterward.

Green Valley takes team title

Five-time defending state champion Green Valley outdistanced host Centennial for the title, 240-175, while Shadow Ridge took third with 170 points. Desert Hills (Utah) finished fourth with 118 points, while Las Vegas rounded out the top five with 102 points.

Las Vegas 126-pounder Antonio Saldate was voted by coaches as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the lower weight divisions, while Centennial 285-pounder Arath Rangel was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler from the higher weight classes.

While Demdemyanos had the most emotional win, the most entertaining battle of the day came in the 138-pound division title match, where Centennial’s Nico Antuna got revenge on Green Valley’s Desmond Bowers, with a 9-7 win in overtime.

The two met on Dec. 1, also at Centennial, where Bowers eked out a 4-3 win. In a back-and-forth affair that saw the two trade takedowns and escapes into the final period, it was Antuna with a low single-leg shot and finished in a low crackdown position to secure the win.