Athlete of the Month
Melvin Whitehead

Pictures and Content courtesy of The Whitehead Family

Hi, my name is Melvin Whitehead. I’m fifteen years old and I am a Sophomore at Liberty High School. I was born and raised in Georgia. What if I told you that it was destiny that brought me to the sport of wrestling? Well it did. See my family is a football and basketball family. No one had ever wrestled. I started playing basketball at five years old. I had always been a physical kid and that was evident when I played basketball. When my parents realized this, they put me in football and I was in love with the game. However, in spite of that love, it felt like something was still missing.
One day, my coach and my dad’s co-coach, Craig Murray, told my dad that I should wrestle. My dad told him no at first because he was unfamiliar with the sport, and he wanted me to play basketball still. But, Coach Craig persisted and told him that wrestling would help me with my football skills. Finally, my dad agreed to let me wrestle. I started with the South Paulding Jr. Spartans. This team was coached by Coach Craig, Coach Jason Seymour, my dad, and Coach Scott Byers. It was rough for me at first. I went into my first tournament and lost very badly.
My spirits were hurt and my dad was mad because he thought I wasn’t being coached correctly. Coach Byers told my dad something that would stick with me for the rest of my life. He told him, “This is part of the process. Pressure makes diamonds and Mel will become an amazing wrestler.” After that, I poured my heart and soul into the sport. I started to improve greatly by wrestling older wrestlers, practicing with my dad in the living room of our house, and doing beginner’s tournaments on top of the experienced ones. I took great strides in my first year, and I placed third in the Georgia State Tournament at 8u eighty-eight pounds.
I continued to play football and came back to wrestle in the fall. However the year of 2016 would be a tough one for me. Due to me contracting a skin virus early in the season, I had to miss most of the season. I continued to practice at home with my dad, but mat time is very important. I came back in time to place first at the State Qualifier at 10u 120 pounds. When I got to the State Tournament, I did not place. I felt broken, but it gave me more motivation to improve and win the State Title. That summer, I started to train with the legendary Arturo Holmes at TWC(The Wrestling Center).
With the help of Brooks Climmons of Climmons Trained, I began to make huge leaps and start to unlock my potential. The proceeding fall season, I went on a tear. I took First Place in the prestigious Dixie Nationals at 10u 120 pounds and placed Second at the Southern Grind. After all the hard work I put in that year, I reached my goal when I got First Place at Georgia State at 10u 120 pounds. For the first time since I started wrestling, I felt like I was truly starting to get to where I needed to be. I looked my dad in the eye and told him “I did it. I actually did it.” But I was far from where I needed to be.
After state, I was told that I was gonna be on one of Georgia’s National Teams, Team Minion Green, going to Virginia Beach for the Elementary school Duals in December. That summer I went back on the grind at TWC. Arturo and Brooks had me practice with older wrestlers so I could get better. For the better part of the training, I was getting beat-up on and I felt like I wasn’t improving. Then when I was 10, I started to see the difference. I started to dish out the punishment I was taking and eventually, I started beating those older wrestlers.
By the time Virginia Beach rolled around, I felt like I was ready. I was right. I won 9/10 of my matches while I was at 10u 140 pounds. At this point, it was the hardest competition that I ever had. My mom and dad were so proud of me. It was a great moment in my wrestling career and one of the best ones. Next was Dixie Nationals. I wrestled 12u 140 pounds and took Second Place. I had lost to an older wrestler, and he exploited my immaturity. But with that loss, it gave me a newfound drive to get better and beat wrestlers like him.
Next, I won the Southern Grind at Novice 135 pounds. I went through my competition like I was playing a video game. After this tournament, I found out that we were going to be moving to Las Vegas and next on the board was Georgia State. This would be my last time wrestling in Georgia. My dad told me to “go out there and leave everything you have on the mat. This is the last one, so go out guns blazing.” And I did exactly that. Not only did I Place First in 12u 140 pounds, but I also received the 12u Outstanding Wrestler Award. I felt complete. This was the perfect way to leave Georgia.
In August of 2018, we moved to Las Vegas. The first thing my dad did was look into a youth football program to join. That’s how we stumbled across Coach Geno Torres and the Las Vegas 49ers. They took us in like family and this team did great things. We won the Youth Football Championship for 12u. Then we got invited to participate in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Tournament. We went to Canton, Ohio and expected to accomplish great things. However, we lost both games and were eliminated. I felt like it was my fault, like I didn’t do enough to help my team win. But, my dad told me that it wasn’t my fault. I played as hard as I could and all I can do is continue to work hard and improve my skills.
I got the chance sooner than I thought. I was selected to be a part of the Island’s Best All Star Game. It was a fun experience. My dad stepped back onto the field to help coach for the first time since we moved to Vegas. Our team beat Orange County but lost to Los Angeles. After this, my dad found a youth wrestling program and from that point, I joined the Cimarron Bad Boys. The program was coached by Doyne Pickett. Instantly I found success with this program. I started winning tournaments all around the youth circuit and it was time for the Salt Lake Slam.
I was in the Middle School 165 bracket, and it proved to be a tough one for me. I wrestled a bunch of older wrestlers and although they didn’t beat the pulp out of me, I was edged out in both matches that I lost. I still Placed Fifth, but I started to lose my confidence. But my dad told me that I lost for a reason. I needed to find that reason and apply it to my wrestling. It was around this time that Coach Mike Garcia from Cimarron Memorial invited me to high school practice, so I could get work and improve. At this point I’m still in the 6th grade and there were sophomores, juniors and seniors in that room.
My dad was nervous for me to be in the room, but I told him that I would be fine. I held my own but got a beating from one of the best wrestlers in the room. I didn’t cry once, and I welcomed anyone to wrestle with me. I earned the respect from all the wrestlers in the room and the respect of Coach Garcia and Coach Kevin Caruso. From that point, I was invited to come whenever I wanted. After a couple of months of training in the high school room and doing small tournaments in Vegas, it was time for the State Tournament in Winnemucca.
At this point I was wrestling Middle School 187 pounds and I Triple Crowned(placed first in Freestyle, Greco, and Folkstyle) and earned my spot on Team Nevada’s Middle School team to go to Idaho State University for Western State Championships. Two months before I was supposed to leave to go to Idaho, I wrestled at the U.S Open. This tournament was rough. I wrestled 14u 165 pounds. These wrestlers were older than me, but I was ready for the challenge. I took Third in Folkstyle after losing in the Quarter Finals. I was mad, but I couldn’t dwell on it because I still had Freestyle and Greco to wrestle. I proceeded to Place Second in Freestyle and Greco, losing to the same wrestler in the Finals for both. This was one of those times where my maturity was a leading factor of why I lost and my dad definitely pointed that out. I would always lose to these types of wrestlers because they are more mature and knew what they wanted to do.
I had to establish an identity for myself. So after the U.S open, I went back to training with Coach Garcia and Caruso. Next was the USA Folkstyle Nationals at Westgate. I was winning until I suffered a concussion in my second match. I wanted to continue to wrestle, but I was made to pull out. I felt like I failed, but my parents told me that this is a part of the sport. You get hurt, nicked, bruised. The question was, how would I respond to it? After I was cleared to wrestle, I had three weeks to prepare for Idaho. So I went back into the high school room and started to prepare.
Coach Garcia realized that my strongest move was my blast double. So he had me practice it religiously. Since I would be wrestling Freestyle and Greco as well, he helped me practice both my leg laces and gut wrenches. Then, it was finally time to head to Idaho. I did extremely well in the Duals, going 8-1. Next was the Individuals. I did well, Placing Second in Freestyle, First in Greco, and Second in Folkstyle. I faced the same guy in the Finals all three times and only beat him once. This made me realize that I still had a long way to go. Despite my loss, my parents were still proud, encouraging me to forge forward. That summer while training with Cimarron, I also began training with Slam! Academy’s High School Team.
There I met Coach Jake Rollans, Zack Hocker, and Bill Sullivan. They allowed me into their room, and it was there that my wrestling started to elevate even more. Coach Jake started to add more elements to my wrestling. He helped improve my top game and added a little more to my Neutral. He told me that my Blast Double was great, but I needed to have other moves in case it didn’t work. He told me I should start using Russians and Underhooks to set up more shots. Coach Hocker helped me realize that I had a good Single Leg, that I could exploit when I’m not shooting Blast Doubles. My dad helped me practice my shots while we were at home and he started having me lift weights to improve my strength.
He realized that in order to help me stand a chance against older wrestlers, I needed to have greater stamina and be just as strong as them. That way I would wear them down if the match is prolonged. Then came my 7th grade year. While I was going to school in Boulder City, I was invited to come to the high school wrestling practice right after. Coach Cox saw that I had potential and he helped me start to realize it. He added different elements to my game that I was lacking. That was good top work and good bottom work. In Boulder City, their identity is that they are amazing Leg Riders. One of my biggest weaknesses was someone Riding Legs on me, and I didn’t know what to do. We spent hours improving my Leg Riding Defense and Offense. Eventually I started to master it.
When their season ended, me and my dad thanked Coach Cox for all the work he put into me, and he told me that I was welcome in the room any time. I went on to take First Place at the Salt Lake Slam in Middle School 187 pounds. After that I won the Temecula Jr. Battle for the Belt at 14u 187 pounds, Beehive Brawl in 15u 175 pounds, and the Arizona State Championship at 15u 250 pounds. Then, when I was supposed to go back to Winnemucca for the Nevada State Championships, COVID-19 hit. This put a halt to all wrestling and football. Even during COVID, I continued to practice my wrestling with my dad, and we practiced my football skills on empty fields. We saw this as an opportunity to get better and grow as an athlete.
During that summer, Coach Scott Kimball asked me and my dad to come to Gold Rush Wrestling Academy to train with his son, who was a junior in high school at the time. We said yes and that is when we met Coach Chase Pami and Max Rohpskof. They quickly saw the talent I had and started to improve my technique. They showed me that I needed to master the mental part of wrestling, as well as cleaning up my technique. They helped me take great strides in my Top and Bottom work, and added more to my Neutral game. During all this, I maintained straight A’s in my classes and was elected Student Council Vice President.
Early in 2021, I went to the Beehive Brawl and won the 15u 200 pound division. However, the real challenge was the tournament that came directly after it. That was the Rockwell Rumble. This is a high school tournament and I was in 8th grade. I came in and thought I was gonna dominate, however I was quickly proven wrong. I went 2-2 in the 182 pound division. This was a humbling experience and one that I really needed. I went back to training with Coach Chase and Coach Max to improve my skills. I took First Place at the Terminator and Showdown at Arizona in 15u 200 pounds. At this point, the school year was over and I would be moving on to high school. I left middle school with an Honor Roll in all three years, NJHS(National Junior Honors Society) member, Student Council Vice President, and 2x Choir Student of the Year. Oh yeah, by the way, I can sing too!
After these accomplishments, I was feeling very confident, but the job wasn’t finished. I went back to the lab to prepare for the Supreme Gladiator. By the time it rolled around, I was feeling ready to do some damage. I went undefeated in the 15u Duals at 200 pounds. The next day, I Placed Second in 15u 200 pounds and 19u 200 pounds. In 15u, I got overconfident and lost to a guy I had beaten in the Duals. I wrestled back through the Blood Rounds and claimed Second. In 19u, I lost to a college freshman. I held my own but he ended up pinning me. This tournament was a great experience, but I knew I had a long way to go. After the Gladiator, I took a break from wrestling and put into football. Next chapter was high school. I ended up starting on Liberty High School’s JV football team in my freshman year. Through all of this, my parents made sure I kept up my grades. Without good grades, what I did in sports does not matter. I even received September Student of the Month!
During that season, I showed that my potential is limitless, and I would be a force to be reckoned with. Football season came to an end when we lost to Bishop Gorman in the Conference Championship. It gave me the drive to get better so I could help my team beat them next season. After football was the high school wrestling season. I started at 195 pounds on Varsity and was a Team Captain. I started making big moves right away. I went undefeated at the Diamondback Duals, took First at the Holiday Classic and got Outstanding Wrestler for Upper Weights, took First at the Spartan Invitational, and took First at the Chaparral Invitational. I was enjoying great success and my dad told me to keep my eye on the prize. That prize was placing first at the NIAA 5A State Tournament. To get there, I had one more challenge. That was 5A Southern Regionals. I prepared for weeks with Coach Kenny Porter and Jesse Shriver from my Varsity Team. I also was going to Gold Rush to get work with Coach Pami, Coach Max, Coach Sorgani, and Coach Jake. Finally, I was ready.
However, the day of Regionals, I had an accident and busted a gash on my eye. I had to get it stitched up and glued before we were supposed to leave for Regionals. I got patched up in time and was ready to wrestle. I claimed First Place at Regionals and was ready for State. We had three weeks to prepare for State, and I put myself through rigorous training to see that I completed my goal. My dad supported me on the back end and helped me mentally prepare myself for the challenge ahead. Finally, it was time for State. I came into State as the number 1 seed in the bracket. The expectations were high and I was ready for it. I went on to pin everyone I wrestled in my bracket, even the senior I faced in the Finals. I had become an NIAA 5A Nevada State Champion at 195 pounds. Not only that, I also completed a 50-0 season and broke the school pin record with 46 pins. The previous record was 45. This was the happiest moment of my wrestling career. After I won, I ran up into the stands and hugged my mom and dad, who were waiting for me. I’ve never seen them more happy.
After State, I found out that I made the Southern Nevada All State First Team. The school was proud and I was on my high horse. I continued training in the offseason and I was offered the opportunity to go to Virginia Beach to participate in the NHSCA Folkstyle Championships. I accepted and went into the lab with my Gold Rush coaches, so I would be ready for Virginia. In late March, we flew up to Virginia and I wrestled the Freshman 195 pound division. I lost my first match when my knee popped and I wrestled through it. I was so angry and devastated, but I couldn’t dwell on the loss. I battled through the Blood Rounds and made it to the Third Place Match. I went into my Third Place Match and won, making me the First All-American Gold Rush had in 2022. I was happy, but not satisfied.
I got redemption when I went to the Iowa National Recruiting Showcase. I needed to make a splash and me and my dad decided that the best way to do that was for me to double bracket in 16u 195 and Showcase 195 pounds. I started wrestling my matches and kept winning. I made it to the Finals in both brackets, also receiving All-American nods in both 16u and Showcase. I was ready to win both, but I faced a problem. They were wrestling the 16u and the Showcase Finals matches at the same time, and it would be tough for me to wrestle both. I was struggling with which one to wrestle. Then, Coach Rob Cate told me to do the 16u Finals first. He said he would push my Showcase Finals match back, but it was more important for me to win the 16u bracket. So I took his advice and I won my Finals match for 16u. I only had five minutes to try and recuperate from the 16u match, so I could wrestle the showcase Finals match against one of the top wrestlers in the country.
I was dead tired, but I wrestled the match anyway. I held my own at first, but eventually the rest of my energy ran out and I lost. I was so mad and angry, but my dad called me and told me that I left everything out there on the mat. He also told me that I made history by attempting the impossible, and I should be proud of what I accomplished. I realized he was right and I held my head up and looked onto the next challenge. I went back to training at Gold Rush. With my win at Iowa, I qualified for Fargo. That was the next big goal. For three months I trained and prepared myself for the challenge at Fargo. During this time, I was nominated for Male Rising Star of the Year in the Sun Standout Awards. It was a close race to win, but unfortunately I lost to a soccer player from Palo Verde. I was disappointed, but I had other things to worry about. That was preparing myself for Fargo.
I continued training, preparing myself for my biggest challenge. Finally, I was ready. I went to Fargo and wrestled the 16u 220 pound division. I started winning matches and made it to the Semi-Finals in Freestyle. The match was very close, but I lost by criteria in a match most people said should’ve been the Finals match. I was so angry because I was close to making it to the Finals. But I couldn’t dwell on it. I had a job to do. I won the Blood Round Semi-Finals match to wrestle for Tthird. With that win, I received my fourth All-American status. I went on to win my Third Place match. I was happy, but there was still Greco. I mentally prepared myself and felt ready to go. I started off very well by winning my first three matches. I made it to the Semi-Finals again, but lost very badly. I was upset, but I had another match to wrestle. I started off great in my Blood Semi-Finals match, but I made a mistake and was pinned. I still got All-American and could wrestle for Fifth, but I was angry. I wanted to win so badly, and I couldn’t complete the mission. I went on to win my 5th Place match and become Gold Rush’s First Fargo Double All-American. Despite my success, I still have a long way to go.
This has been my journey through wrestling so far, and I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. I want to thank God for blessing me with this success and talent. I want to thank my parents for making all of this possible and giving me the opportunity to be the best version of myself. I want to thank my Georgia coaches for starting me on my journey. I want to thank the Slam! Academy coaches, Jake, Hocker and Sullivan for showing me that there was a lot more to wrestling than what was comfortable to me. I want to thank my Gold Rush Coaches, Pami, Jake, Sorgani and Max for sticking with me these past two years and elevating my wrestling to where it is today. I want to thank the ATC coaches, Nap, Alex and Rouser for helping me show the country that I’m a force to be reckoned with. I want to thank Coaches Garcia and Caruso for taking me in as a middle schooler and showing me that there is a lot more to my wrestling than I would ever know. I also want to thank my school teachers for being understanding and giving me the opportunity to do everything I set my mind to. Finally, I want to thank my Liberty coaches, Kenny, Shriver and Gaitanos for giving me the opportunity to show my skills for the school, for my family, and for myself.
I want to offer advice for young kids trying to balance their lives with wrestling. Make sure you find time for yourself. Find what helps you relax best, whether it is music, reading, games, etc. Make sure you listen to your parents because without them, there is no sports. Make them feel like their money is not going to waste. And also, make sure you take care of your grades. We are Student-Athletes. You must be a good student in order to be an athlete. Lastly, I want to make a promise to everyone. My story is still unwritten. I have many chapters left to be filled. I promise that this isn’t the last you will see of me. I will make this state proud, and inspire others to walk my path.