Sports, Tenure At EV Help Turn Honoroff Into Focused Winner

There was a time when J.J. Honorof stood along the walls in the East Valley wrestling room feigning injury to avoid practice.

He has since become one of the best 215-pound wrestlers in the area.

“He was kind of forced to go out,” said Knight coach Craig Hanson. “Look at him now. He is one of our stellar performers.”

Honorof came to East Valley High School from Coeur d’Alene in 1995, a temporary ward of Shamrock Acres Boys Ranch.

He found a home at EV and, noting that a transformation was taking place, his parents moved to the Valley so he could remain at the school.

In Coeur d’Alene, said Honorof, he had rebelled against his parents, taken up with a bad crowd and been kicked out of school. His troubles led to a 14-month stint at the boys ranch.

“They make you play sports and stuff out there so I started wrestling,” Honorof recalled. “I didn’t want to do it. I hated it.”

Which is why the then-pudgy youngster faked injury as an excuse to keep from working out and being pounded on by more experienced wrestlers.

But he stuck it out and as a sophomore tried harder.

“At a certain point, they let the rancher guys quit,” Honorof said. “Me and a friend stayed in it. It became pretty fun for me.”

The last two years, said Hanson, Honorof has made dramatic improvement both as a wrestler and a person.

EV’s backup at 190 and 215 pounds, he last year came within a 1-0 loss of advancing to regionals.

So far this year he has finished fourth at the Deer Park Invitational, was second at the Inland Empire Classic, was fifth at the prestigious Tri-State Tournament and last weekend he won his weight class at the Lake Stevens Invitational.

On Wednesday he was one of just three area wrestlers to win against a touring team from Japan.

Honorof also began playing football as a sophomore and became a two-way starter for the Knights.

Honorof credits the East Valley surroundings and sports for his transformation.

He didn’t think he was that bad when he was sent to Shamrock Acres. He realizes now he could have ended up in a place he didn’t want to be.

“I wanted to stay here because it is a better atmosphere,” Honorof said. “Sports gives you something to focus on, it gives you a goal. Once you have a goal, you can focus on staying out of trouble.”

He has gone from a wrestler who stood around and tied up to one who uses quickness to set up an opponent and shoot moves. His goal is to wrestle in the state tournament.

So far Honorof has dared to wrestle the area’s best, from 215 to 275 pounds, winning more than his share.

It’s a far cry from the youngster who faked injury just to avoid wrestling his teammates.

“He has just changed himself physically and mentally,” said Hanson. “He’s on top of his game.”