Presta Eats Up Pasta, Opponents For Nic Wrestler Carries On Tradition After Death Of Montana Legend
Bob Presta was looking forward to a little home cookin’ in Missoula on Friday following North Idaho College’s wrestling dual with Northwest Community (Wyo.) College.
It’s a tradition, a spaghetti lunch before intracity duals between Missoula’s three high schools.
A Jug Beck tradition, that is. The legendary Montana coach had his wife fixing Italian-style pasta for more than three decades.
Beck died last summer, but the Sentinel High School Spartans are still eating their noodles. Presta’s mother is seeing to it.
Presta’s brothers are carrying on their own tradition. One of being State AA champions. It started in 1993 and 1994 with Bob, now at NIC. Then came Jeremy, a senior at 140 pounds, and Ryan, a junior at 135, both defending state champs and undefeated this year.
One of Ryan’s most impressive wins was at the Tri-State Tournament in December at NIC. Ryan won in overtime against Jay McGuffin of Cashmere, Wash., who took an 82-0 record into the match.
Ryan also upheld another Presta tradition, keeping the Tri-State outstanding wrestler award in the family for the third time in four years. Bob won it as senior and junior.
The family lived within two blocks of Beck. Their father, Louie, is an ex-boxer. Bob, now 20, started to wrestle at age 5.
Bob was looking forward to wrestling in the Sentinel gym again. Four high school duals surrounded the NIC matches.
Today, Presta hopes a little of that hometown spoilin’ carries over as the Cardinals return home to host Region 18 rival Ricks College at Christianson Gym. Matches start at 3 p.m.
The 142-pound sophomore, considered NIC’s top 1994 recruit, meets nemesis Rupp Boone for a fourth time this year. Presta (16-6) has yet to win.
“(Rupp is) a real tough rider,” Presta said. “That’s one of my problems with him. I haven’t been able to escape from him. Me and coach (John Owen) watch films. I’ve thought about the matches. All I can do is go out there and try a strategy I haven’t tried, and wrestle my hardest.”
Presta is as close to 100 percent health as he has been in 11 months.
A severe ankle sprain knocked him out of the 1995 regionals last February without qualifying for the NJCAA national tournament despite a 25-7 record.
Presta’s left knee has been scoped twice since May. The pain is chronic; its nagging persistence started in high school. The knee was strained in December, and Presta (16-6) took a month off.
Less than a month remains in the 1995-96 season. Ricks hosts the regional in Rexburg on Feb. 9, with the top three placers in each weight advancing to the national tournament on Feb. 23-24 in Bismarck, N.D.
“It’s been tough for Bob this year,” Owen said. “If you would want your son to be a certain way - like to be responsible and always go to class and dress properly and sit in the front row - that’s Bob.
“Bob is always at practice. Bob is always 30 minutes early. Bob depicts what the ultimate athlete needs to be,” Owen continued. “But Bob is just an average guy. He’s got average ability, but he works hard at wrestling and at school.”
Presta’s rental home is spotless, shared with boyhood friend and teammate Nate Laslovich. “(Presta) gets up at 5:30 a.m. and gets his homework done and gets organized,” Owen said. “When you go in the house, there’s a sign that says, ‘Take off your shoes.’
“(Presta is) disciplined, but he also puts an unbelievable amount of pressure on himself. He’s pushing all the time.”
Since the December layoff, Presta and Owen take a day-by-day approach to wrestling.
“The wrestling season is a pretty long season,” Presta said. “We start in August and work out every day until the end of February.
“I took some time this year to sit down with Coach and talk about my goals,” Presta added. “If you work hard every day, then you’re going to perform 100 percent when you’re out there on the mat. I was looking too far ahead. Right now, I’m just taking one day at a time. These last couple weeks, I’ve been pushing myself each day hard.”
On Tuesday, Presta had his first “8-pound practice,” which was how much weight he lost in the NIC practice room.
“I don’t have to worry about the competition,” Presta said. “I can go out there and wrestle my match. It’s like studying for a test - you do a little each day, instead of the night before cramming for it.”
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