Family style: Wrestler and siblings help Riverside program

There was a time when Ryan DesRoches considered himself the third-best wrestler in his family, behind younger brothers Jacob and Nick.

They had instant success and Ryan was less coordinated, said his dad, Rob.

“When we first started, the first three or four years we all had about the same experience and they were able to beat me whenever they wanted to,” Ryan said.

Being the eldest, it motivated him to not take a back seat to his brothers. When his body caught up to sports there’s been no stopping him.

“I kind of split the gap” by seventh grade, he said.

People planted the notion that maybe he could be a three-time state champion. DesRoches, a senior competing at 171 pounds for 2A Riverside, has two titles and 128 wins in the bank.

He will continue wrestling on scholarship at Pac-10 Cal Poly while pursuing a career in medicine.

This weekend at the regional meet DesRoches is shooting for a chance at that third title.

But this story isn’t only about Ryan’s wrestling success. Just as intriguing is the background of the tight-knit family living on 10 acres near Deer Park.

Rob and Gina DesRoches have eight boys ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years. All are home schooled.

Rob, originally from Medical Lake, is a Spokane dentist who earned his degree at Northwestern University in Chicago. The oldest three boys were born there and that is where the home-schooling idea germinated.

“The school system there is horrendous,” said Rob. “It is substandard nationally, not only the inner-city scores, but even in the good suburbs.”

Gina took a certification course and has done the bulk of the instruction.

“In Chicago I had friends there doing it and thought, ‘How can you go wrong with kindergarten?’ ” she said. “I took it for one year and if it got out of hand figured I’d get help.”

Thirteen years and five more births later – the fourth-oldest is six years younger than Nick – she and Rob are still instructing with help in advanced courses from DVD programs.

“It’s been a lot of sacrifice to make as a mom, homemaker and helpmate, but I love doing it,” Gina said. “They’ve thrived and I get to learn every day.”

Rob started his sons in youth wrestling.

“I thought they’d be good at it because of their builds,” he said. “It was a good thing to try because they absolutely fell in love with it.”

By middle-school age the DesRoches entered Riverside’s wrestling program.

“They happened to buy a house out here, and to be honest, things just fell into place,” said Rams coach Randy Miller. “They’re a great family with great wrestlers and it made a huge boost to our program.”

Ryan went unplaced at state as a freshman 145-pounder.

Wrestling with area freestyle programs and attendance at an intensive camp helped produce state titles at 160 as a sophomore and last season when DesRoches went undefeated.

“I never felt I would win the first title,” he said. “But looking back, I don’t know why not.”

His only loss this year has been in the finals of the Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene to defending State 3A champion Jake Swartz from Auburn. Ryan has won by pin or technical fall since.

“We looked at it not as a setback, but an eye-opener to get after it more,” said his coach. “He and I have been tussling harder since the finals because my style is more like the kid who beat him.”

Miller said that DesRoches has made him a better coach since his arrival at Riverside.

Last week all three brothers reached the district finals.

Freshman Nick lost at 152, but junior Jacob, a two-time state qualifier who finished fourth last year, reversed an earlier loss to Deer Park’s Waylon Cork for the title at 160. Ryan followed with a pin.