‘Fear none’: Deer Park senior wrestler Nathan Gregory has eyes fixed on third state title

Not much rattles Deer Park’s Nathan Gregory on the mat.

But as cool and collected as the Stags’ senior standout is while wrestling, nerves and emotions pour out of his 126-pound frame while watching his teammates from the bench.

“He’s so invested in his team and wanting his teammates to do well and succeed. That’s Nathan right there,” first-year Deer Park coach Ryan Jorgensen said after Monday’s dual against Lakeside. “Obviously, he wants to do great, but he puts others in front of himself more often than not. He’ll take kids to camps, stay late when needed.

“Seeing him out at the edge of the mat going crazy doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

Jorgensen also isn’t surprised by what Gregory does on the mat.

Win.

“I’ve always wanted to be the guy to put the team on my back and put the pressure on me,” Gregory said. “I want to be great.”

Gregory picked up a pair of pins during Monday’s victories against the Eagles and Medical Lake to help the Stags cruise to an unbeaten Northeast A League title. The wins moved Gregory, who is the top-ranked 1A wrestler at 126 pounds by Washingtonwrestlingreport.com, to 26-1 on the season.

More impressive than his record has been Gregory’s roster flexibility to help the team and challenge himself. This season he has wrestled, and won, at 126, 132, 138 and 145 pounds.

“I really enjoy wrestling kids that are stronger, bigger, maybe even better than me,” Gregory said. “That’s only going to help me at state.”

Not that he needs much help in that department.

Gregory has made the Tacoma Dome and Mat Classic a second home while at Deer Park, winning titles at 113 pounds as a freshman and 120 pounds as a sophomore.

“I don’t fear anything. I love competition with a tough match and a grinder of a match,” Gregory said. “That’s why I work so hard in the practice room – so I know no one is going to hang with me, whether it’s a league match or a state title match.”

He also made sure he wouldn’t lose out on competition when the Washington state tournaments were canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gregory moved to Meridian, Idaho, for six months and took second place at 132 pounds in the 5A State tournament, which is made up of the state’s largest schools.

That competition seems to have paid off for Gregory this year. He’s already earned wins at 132 pounds at the Deer Park Invitational, Inland Empire Invitational and Ray Westberg Invitational. His lone loss of the season came at the Tri-State Invitational, where he took third at 126.

“His skill set is something we’ve never really seen at Deer Park,” Jorgensen said. “He’s best on his feet and he’s gotten a lot better on the ground, but his strong suit is on his feet by getting takedowns and being aggressive.

“And that mentality has gone through our whole team. Kids feed off Nathan and his energy.”

Gregory has signed to wrestle at Southeastern (Florida) University next season, which boasts a top-10 ranked NAIA program. But before he can pack his bags, Gregory is focused on claiming a third state title, this time at 126 pounds.

“I’m wrestling the best I ever have and I’m at the top of my game right now,” Gregory said. “I don’t fear anybody and I’m not afraid of anybody. Whoever is on the mat with me, let’s do this.

“I live by the motto ‘Fear none,’ and I’m going to chase greatness on the mat, as a teammate, as a student. I always want more.”

Jorgensen hopes Gregory’s mentality can help translate to the school’s third state title, the previous two coming under former coach Matt Jorgensen – Ryan’s father.

“It’s been my dream to take over this program. I love wrestling and Deer Park wrestling,” Ryan Jorgensen said. “As far as reinventing the wheel, I think my dad did a pretty good job while he was here, so I don’t think we’re gonna go too crazy changing things up.”

The District 7 tournament takes place Saturday in Colville, followed by regionals the following weekend in Royal City. Mat Classic XXXIII is Feb. 18-19 in Tacoma.