WORDEN — Wyatt Jolliff has a lot on his plate. The Huntley Project High School wrestler competes at 132 pounds for a team that's in great position to win a Class B/C state championship next weekend.
"Me and my brother did a camp, I want to say, in second or third grade," Jolliff said of finding early joy in the sport.
He was also Huntley Project's top cross country runner last season. "I started that back in sixth grade," he recalled.
But his accolades extend well beyond sports. Jolliff has also earned the lifetime achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout. "Yeah, it's a lot of hard work and dedication," Jolliff admitted.
See Jolliff's Eagle Scout progression and hear his thoughts on joining the U.S. Coast Guard:
It was also eye opening for wrestling coach Tim Kaczmarek. "I learned a lot in the process, too, and there's a lot that goes into it," Kaczmarek said with admiration.
The requirement includes earning 21 merit badges, but it hardly stops there. Eagle Scout hopefuls must complete a carefully detailed final project.
"I put in a flag pole out at the Valley Baptist Church," Jolliff said.
Thing is, that involved a lot more than just sticking a post into the ground. The project starts with designing a plan, then sending it to the national office for approval. If it passes inspection, the real work begins.
"You do the project, take pictures of the steps … we were lucky to have someone donate their cement mixer so that made that part a lot easier," Jolliff explained. "Yellowstone Valley Co-op brought out one of their line trucks to hoist the pole up and to dig the hole to put the concrete in."
Then he had to send pictures of the finished product back to the national crew, where they approved it.
After graduation, Jolliff will head to boot camp with the U.S. Coast Guard, where he'll also further his education.
"I'm going in for an intelligence specialist. They're a lot of computer work, figuring out logistics and stuff, taking in information and giving it out to people better formatted for their job," he said.
Jolliff’s well-rounded drive doesn’t surprise Kaczmarek.
"He said in his mind, 'This is what I want to do,' and he's gone out on his own and tried to attack those goals," Kaczmarek said.
Boot camp starts this July in New Jersey.
"I'm excited for it but also nervous about it. It's the first time really away from my parents and my family," Jolliff said.
Given his proven dedication to sports, scouting and service, it seems Jolliff will be just fine no matter where he’s helping others.
