VVHS Wrestler Signs To Compete At Univ. of St. Mary’s

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

The Force was strong with Ethan Woods on Tuesday, May the 4th (Star Wars day), as he lifted a pen and signed his name to a letter of commitment to the University of Saint Mary (USM) in Kansas and their wrestling program.

“Wrestling in college has been a dream of mine since I first stepped on the mat,” said Woods who will be graduating this month from Virgin Valley High School.

The whole Woods family (including grandparents) as well as school principal, coaches, athletic director, and more were present as the ceremony took place in the VVHS gymnasium.

“This is an exciting day and we all want to be here for him,” said Chrissy Woods, Ethan’s mother.

After Ethan penned his signature, his father Jeremy Woods, and mother Chrissy Woods also added their signatures. Celebrations followed with applause, hugs and photos concluded the event.
“It has been a while since we have had an athlete sign with a college,” said VVHS Principal Riley Frei.

“Yes it has been a while,” agreed VVHS Athletic Director Yori Ludvigson. “Our last signed athlete was Ty Smith. But USM could not get anyone better. Ethan is a most amazing student, person, and athlete.”
Woods is the Valedictorian of the 2021 graduating class of VVHS with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He has completed college-level classes of AP Chemistry and others.

Woods was offered multiple academic scholarships from the University of Utah and more. He was offered one athletic scholarship and he took it, following in his blood lineage of wrestling in college. His coaches and relatives are Skyler and Scott Woods who wrestled at the University of Oregon after graduating from VVHS in the early 2000s. Another family member is Ty Smith who made Nationals this year for Utah Valley University.

Besides wrestling, Woods is a natural athlete competing in other sports like cross country.
“Ethan did cross country this year, his first year,” said Ethan’s father Jeremy. “He was winning matches and finishing in top runners all with an injury. Just imagine what he could have done if he was at 100%.”

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, the wrestling season for 2020 was canceled for the Clark County School District. Ethan Woods was still able to pull off an impressive high school resume: 2019 Regional Champ, a 2019 State Runner Up, a 2020 Regional Runner Up, and 2020 State 3rd place finisher.
USM Head Coach Chuck Kearney has been keeping an eye on Ethan for a long time, as he used to coach Scott and Skyler at Oregon. The biggest reason is because of Woods off-the-mat academic performance as well as his on-the-mat athletic performance.

“When I was named the first head wrestling coach at Saint Mary, I was determined to build a team that competes hard on the mat and performs exceptionally well in the classroom,” stated Coach Kearney for USM wrestling team publications.

“Coach Kearney has often told us how impressed he is with Ethan and what an impressive young man he is,” emphasized Jeremy Woods.

USM Wrestling sent two wrestlers to NIAAA Nationals this last shortened season. Woods starts his college training and career after graduation. He is the son of Jeremy Woods/Holli Slack and Chrissy Woods. All are residents of Mesquite, NV. Ethan has three siblings: Ava, Ashley, and Sam.

“I would like to thank my coaches, Skyler Woods and Scott Woods for believing in me and pushing me to be my best,” Ethan said. “I would also like to thank my dad for always being in my corner ready to help me in every way to help me accomplish my goals. Along with my mother who was always there to cheer me on. Other big thanks go out to the rest of my family and friends who believed in me and supported me through it all. I look forward to furthering my athletic career and education at The University of Saint Mary.”