Lucas Boland has a lofty sports ambition when he joins the Chargers wrestling team some years from now.

“When I'm in Upper School, I want to win a state championship for Providence Day,” the Lower School fourth-grader says.

He’s well on his way.

Lucas, who wrestles in Lower School in the Extended Day program, won a state title in the North Carolina Wrestling Association for Youth Rookie State Wrestling Championship last weekend in Fayetteville. The wrestling enrichment program is offered one day a week for 10 weeks in both the fall and spring semesters.

“It makes me feel good that all of the practice has paid off,” says Lucas, who has been wrestling since the first grade. “It is fun, and there is always a way you can get better as long as you work on improving yourself.”

The youngster’s wrestling journey began in the Extended Day program at Providence Day, where coaches Terry Tadeo and Tommy Racano, who have been coaching the Upper School wrestlers for several seasons, have been working with children for about eight years.

“We now have kids on our [PD] varsity team that started out back then, which is so cool,” Coach Racano says. “Lucas has been wrestling for a couple of years now and has proven to have great balance and feel for the sport. His love for wrestling has been fueled by his father, Tom Boland, and offers them a great bonding time.

“Keeping it fun is crucial at this age.”

Coaches Tadeo and Racano are also partners in The Charlotte School of Wrestling, which was started in 2014 to give back to the community and teach all levels of the sport.

“I have been a coach at PDS for 23 years; however, the enrichment is through our club, The Charlotte School of Wrestling, which also has youth practices twice a week,” Coach Racano says. “Lucas attends these additional workouts consistently, contributing to his success.”

While Lucas loves wrestling because of the one-on-one competition, his mom, Karine Boland, says the training Lucas received early at Providence Day taught him the technique he used to win the state championship.

“We find a lot of value in both the enrichment program and the Charlotte School of Wrestling club taught by the Providence Day coaches at Providence Day,” Karine says. “Good wrestlers learn at young ages, and the lessons learned during wrestling extend beyond the sport and become lifelong qualities like perseverance, confidence, mental resilience, and discipline.”