Name: Joey Nicholson
Age: 15
Year: Sophomore
Winter Sport: Wrestling
Weight Class: 106 lbs.
Years on Varsity: 2 years
Height & Weight: 5’6”, 110 lbs.
Experience: 12 years
ROCKINGHAM – Joey Nicholson has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales. In his second season as a member of the Raiders’ varsity wrestling team, Nicholson has had to fill a leadership role due to the absence of any seniors on the team. Not only has he fulfilled that role as one of the team’s captains, he has put up impressive statistics on the mat, earning him the title of Richmond’s top wrestler and this week’s nomination.
RSHS Academics: Nicholson is about to start his second semester of his sophomore year at Richmond Senior High School. He’s an A/B honor roll student who places as much emphasis on his schoolwork as he does his athletics. This past semester, Nicholson took Honors Biology I, Honors Math III, English II, Spanish I and Weight Training.
In the upcoming spring semester, Nicholson with continue with his second half of English II and Weight Training, and take new classes like Honors World History and Business Finance. When asked what his favorite class has been so far, it was his Spanish class he finds most useful.
“My favorite class so far is my Spanish I class,” Nicholson explained. “I have a lot of friends who speak Spanish, and I wanted to learn the language so I could understand what they’re saying.
“I also have a friend whose mom only speaks Spanish,” he continued. “So, learning this language helps me understand her. It’s a great class.”
RSHS Sports: In his year and a half at the high school level, Nicholson has immersed himself in four different sports at Richmond. While wrestling is his only winter sport, he participates in cross country and soccer in the fall, and is a member of the track and field team in the spring.
As a freshman, Nicholson played on Richmond’s junior varsity soccer team. But this past season, head coach Bennie Howard brought him up to varsity, where he played as a left midfielder. This season in cross country, Nicholson consistently ran as the No. 3 runner for the Raiders. In track, he runs the middle legs of the 4×4 relay, and competes in the mile.
“Wrestling is still my favorite sport (to play),” Nicholson explained when he was asked which sport he enjoys most. “I’ve grown up around the sport, and I guess I’m just better at wrestling than I am in the other sports.”
Extracurricular Activities/Volunteering: Though he doesn’t participate in any clubs or organizations at RSHS (due to his full sports schedule), Nicholson is involved with helping with a local AAU wrestling club. Coached by Nicholson’s father, Earl Nicholson, the sophomore explained that the AAU program was established to help give area wrestlers some experience on the mat before reaching the high school level. The club holds camps over the summer, which Nicholson assists as a coach.
Another thing that he said he enjoys doing is “helping other people is cut grass.” Nicholson noted that he mostly helps friends and family with this chore.
Hobbies: Being a four-sport athlete, Nicholson doesn’t let his busy practice and training schedule interfere with his hobbies and down time. What he enjoys doing most is playing pickup soccer games with his friends, adding that they all like to compete and stay active.
“I also like to watch college wrestling with my dad,” Nicholson explained. “My favorite school is North Carolina State, which is the No. 4 program in the country. Kevin Jack, who wrestles in the 141-pound weight class, has a tough style of wrestling. That’s why I like him.”
He closed by saying he likes, “playing X-Box online” with his friends, noting he mostly plays sports games like Madden and FIFA.
Interesting Fact: Like many of the Richmond Observer’s official athletes, Nicholson’s interesting fact involves watching an older, but still popular cartoon.
“I really like watching Dragon Ball Z and Naruto,” Nicholson explained. “Watching them in Japanese is cool because the voices are so different. When I watch, I try to pick up on what they’re saying.”
Something Nicholson is also proud of is being recognized as Hamlet Middle School’s “offensive player of the year” during his eighth-grade soccer season.
College Aspirations: While he still has some time to figure out where he’d like to attend college, and what he’ll actually study, Nicholson has already started formulating a plan. And it involves academics and athletics.
“My goal is to get a full-ride scholarship to UNC (Chapel Hill) or North Carolina State,” Nicholson said. “I’m working hard in soccer and wrestling to see if I can get an offer. My dad went to N.C. State, and I’ve always liked Carolina since I was a little kid. So, either school would be great (to get accepted to).”
In terms of what he’d like to study, Nicholson said he’s “still figuring out” his career. But he did say he’s interested in studying and working with computers.
Mentor: For his mentor, Nicholson chose two members of his family. Both of them have impacted and encouraged him regarding his athletic career. First, he chose his older sister Jayana, who is a junior at RSHS and a former Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week.
“I look up to Jayana because she has all of these college scouts looking to recruit her for soccer,” Nicholson said. “I see her going to all of these camps, and I want to follow her in what she’s doing.”
Nicholson also selected his father, Earl Nicholson, who is the head wrestling coach at Richmond.
“My dad works as a teacher and he’s the head coach,” Nicholson noted. “He’s always busy and helps get us places. But he pushes me hard in sports and encourages me to do well.”
Player of the Week Stats: Noted by head coach Nicholson, the Raiders program is going through “a rebuilding year,” as the team is comprised of just three juniors and the rest are sophomores and freshmen. But despite the younger team, both Nicholsons are pleased with the team’s progress.
On the mat, Nicholson has gone an impressive 32-4 this season in the 106-pound weight class. He’s racked up 156 match points, while also tallying 186 team points. Nicholson is second on the team with 18 pinfalls, and has a team-best three major decisions. He also has one technical fall this season.
What’s it like to be such a young leader on this wrestling team? What does that responsibility mean to you?
“It’s hard sometimes to be the leader,” Nicholson admitted. “I don’t like to lose. But I push myself on the mat and in the weight room to get better and show my teammates what it takes.
“This year I beat a wrestler from Southwestern Randolph in double overtime,” he continued. “The year before, he had beaten me. The more I train, the better I get.”
What has been your best accomplishment this season?
“My best two moments this year were at the Mallard Creek (High School) tournament and the tournament at East Montgomery (High School),” Nichols said. “At Mallard Creek, I placed fourth out of 20 wrestlers. And I was named the first-place winner in my weight class at East Montgomery.”
Coach’s Corner: Head coach Earl Nicholson was quick to say that he and his son have a great respect for one another on and off the mat, and said that he has never pushed his son’s limits with wrestling. He also said he was proud of his son for sticking with his goals, which include being able to be disciplined enough to stay in the 106-pound weight class.
“I’ve tried to be careful and let Joey love the sport and not burn him out,” Coach Nicholson said. “But he’s shone me he really loves it. The first thing that really impressed me this year was he started the season at 113 pounds, and he’s wrestling 106 (weight class). He had the discipline to do it, and he asked wrestlers at N.C. State for advice.
“As the season has gone on, he’s continued to build up more character and leadership,” he continued. “Everything I tell him to do or not to do, he immediately responds. It’s a good sign for (the program’s) future.”
Look for Nicholson on the Richmond Observer’s flagship news program LIVE AT 5, as he’ll be in studio for Friday’s edition.
