On Feb. 14, four West Grand High School wrestlers headed over the Continental Divide to the state wrestling championships in Denver. For all the wrestlers, this was a defining moment in their sports career. But for one wrestler — Scotty Cameron — it was especially significant.

Junior Scotty Cameron has Down syndrome, but thanks to a program called Unified Sports, he is able to compete with his peers who don’t have disabilities. Cameron joined the West Grand wrestling team to learn the sport alongside nearly 30 other boys. Out of this roster, Scotty and two other boys headed to the Colorado High School Activities Association State Wrestling Tournament.

“It was the first time he got to wrestle in an actual match where the outcome was not certain,” Kim Cameron said, Scotty’s mother. “It was his first year of wrestling, and the coaches and his teammates did a great job of teaching him skills.”  

The state tournament took place Feb. 15-17, where Scotty wrestled in front of thousands of people at Ball Arena. Thanks to lots of practice throughout the season, he was comfortable on the mat and ready to take on his opponent in a unified match.

Kim said that Scotty had the choice of wrestling one of his own teammates or wrestling someone else with a disability. Scotty chose to wrestle someone he didn’t know. 

“When I asked what if the other guy was tougher, Scotty told me that he knew how to ‘stand, roll and grab hands,’ which incidentally was his strategy the first three minutes of his nine-minute match!” Kim said. “Fortunately, by the end he was shooting and grabbing a leg.”

Scotty’s teammates, as well as head coach Mitch Lockhart and assistant coach Bryan Klotz, were excited to watch Scotty’s unified match. The coaches worked hard to find him a proper opponent. They chose Carson Byorick, a senior from Strasburg High School. Like Scotty, Byorick has Down syndrome.

“My daughter and I were a little worried that Carson was bigger than Scotty, but it was a great match and fairly even. Scotty lost by points, but he didn’t get pinned,” Kim said.

Another wrestler from Soroco actually helped Scotty practice during a “staged” match, which took place his official match.

“He kept it going for nearly nine minutes, and he instructed Scotty as they went, gently repositioning Scotty’s hand on his arm,” Kim Cameron said. “It really was heartwarming!”

Scotty remained confident throughout his unified match, thanks in part to the enthusiastic crowd at Ball Arena. Several community members also attended the tournament to root for Scotty. In addition to his family, his special education teacher Abra Houchin and his swim instructor Laura Barnhardt were in the stands.

“He raised his arms for the crowd to cheer, and they roared!” Kim said.

She expressed her thanks to everyone who made the unified match possible. It was a great experience for Scotty because of the commitment of the coaches, the camaraderie of his fellow wrestlers, and guidance by athletic director Brian Strathman.

The West Grand High School wrestling program provided lots of support to Scotty leading up to his match, including all the equipment he needed for this season.

“Scotty was so happy when he brought home everything after the first practice,” Kim Cameron said. “The singlet, T-shirt, warm-up clothes, the bag … he even had shoes that they found for him.”

Kim saw tremendous growth in her son throughout his wrestling season as the coaches trained him.

“They invested time into Scotty, which is humbling as a mom when you realize they built skills in a kiddo that would not be wrestling real matches for the season,” she said. “The only real match he had was at state.”

West Grand has a robust wrestling program for both boys and girls. For the boys team, Scotty, Joe Probst and Blake Terryberry attended the state championships, along with Morgan Lujan of the girls team.

“The growth of the program is a testament to the coaches’ passion,” Kim said. “They also lead peewee and middle school wrestling.”

She encouraged other families who have children with disabilities to participate in Unified Sports. Their family is already looking forward to next year’s unified wrestling match. 

“We were blessed that Scotty got to wrestle in a unified match,” Kim Cameron said. “I wish we had known about this opportunity sooner!”

A dream come true

Scotty also shared some of his thoughts about wrestling with Sky-Hi News. He said that he really respects coach Lockhart and coach Klotz. He also really likes Shawn Lechman, the high school girls wrestling coach. He feels that the coaches and his teammates are family.

Scotty has had dinner with coach Lockhart, and often gets rides home from teammates or coaches. His wrestling nickname is Cowboy Beast or Mr. Beast, and he enjoys weightlifting as well. He can deadlift 135 pounds.

He said that one of his dreams is to wrestle in a professional ring that is used by WWE fighters. He follows all the WWE wrestlers and watches them on SmackDown and Raw. Participating in a unified match at the state championships was close to his WWE dream.

About Unified Sports

Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability. The program is part of the Special Olympics and is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Learn more at SpecialOlympicsCo.org/Programs.