No Escaping Nic Wrestling Star Who Once Rejected Cardinals On Track For National Title

John Owen didn’t have one of his best recruiting years at 177 pounds for North Idaho College wrestling in 1993.

The veteran coach’s top two candidates nixed his initial offers.

When school started, each called Owen back.

And the Cardinals - via Boise State University - wound up with an National Junior College Athletic Association All-American in Scott Surplus.

Surplus, the two-time Washington AAA state wrestling champ from Richland, had been Owen’s No. 1 recruit.

“My experience, 99 percent of the time, when a kid backs out of one school and enters another, there is something dysfunctional,” Owen said. “The case of Scott Surplus is the exception.”

Now, BSU coach Mike Young is again recruiting Surplus, who placed fifth for NIC’s Cardinals at the 1994 national tournament.

A three-sport, all-state high school athlete, Surplus received baseball scholarship offers as a catcher and was named Big Nine Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

“I knew I was going to wrestle,” the 19-year-old Surplus said. “I’ve done it so long (14 years), I felt like it was a little more fun.”

Surplus chose BSU over Oregon State University and NIC.

But after 10 days in Boise, he called Owen.

“I remember him calling me,” Owen said. “I asked, `Scott have you talked to coach Young yet … talk to him again.’.”

“What I really wanted to say was `Scott, catch the next plane out of town,’ because I knew what kind of kid he was.”

Surplus immediately went to work.

“The first day I got here, we ran French Gulch, a hilly three-mile run. That was quite interesting,” Surplus said. “I was out of shape. I made it. My legs weren’t moving too well.”

Surplus is now less than three weeks away from the 1995 national tournament in Bismarck, N.D. His goal is the national title.

He is a true 177-pounder, which means cutting very little weight and that’s a definite advantage. “He’s got a lot of energy this time of year,” Owen agrees.

“This year, I’ve gone a lot harder,” Surplus said. “You’re more mature. I’ve learned more - how to wrestle the college style. You have to be more aggressive. You can’t sit back and wait like I did last year, plus my technique has gotten better.”

Surplus enters the Region 18 Tournament with a 39-7 record, unbeaten against NJCAA opponents this season.

“Confidence is the biggest part of what he does,” Owen said. “He is more aggressive, very much more technically sound. He doesn’t make many mistakes.”

Surplus lost a one-point semifinal match at the 1994 national tournament.

“He got ridden in the semis and lost by one on a tough call,” Owen said. “The first match (wrestling) back, Scott hung his head and pouted, and didn’t get ready - his coach did the same.”

The 5-foot-10 Surplus is a “shooter,” as evidenced by 115 takedowns thus far this year. “I go right after them,” he said. “Most my pins come off my takedown. I take them down and ride them.”

His takedown technique is the result of years of freestyle wrestling, which he also coaches.

A 2.7 student, Surplus plans to purse a career in law enforcement or education.

“He’ll be a great coach,” Owen said. “He’s got such a great background. He has multi-sports interests. He is multi-talented.

“The biggest part of what we do in coaching is demonstrating and modeling,” Owen continued. “He likes kids. He’s going to be a young man who will be happy.”