Falconer assistant coach Scotty James with his wife, Cam, after winning his first match at Jamestown | 1.26.2020
Falconer Wrestling’s own Scott ‘Scotty’ James finally got his chance to represent the Gold, Blue, and White on the mat.
Scotty, as he is affectionately known in Falconer and Jamestown and among the wrestling, football, and baseball circuits in WNY, is a Golden Falcons mega-fan and an assistant coach to the NYS champion wrestling team. On Sunday, January 26th at the Jamestown Open at Jamestown Community College, Scotty laced up and stepped on the mat for the first time ever himself and recorded a first period pin in the heavyweight open division.
“It was fun,” said Scotty after his breakthrough victory. “I hit him with a half! Coach [Drew] Wilcox coached me and the kids came down and cheered me on. I loved wearing the singlet for the first time and I had to make weight too.”
James has spent the last four winters helping Wilcox and the Golden Falcons, rarely missing a practice. He’s helped the team to 114 victories in the last four years alone and says he’s picked up how to wrestle from going to practice.
“I go to practice every day and a lot of the junior varsity tournaments,” said Scotty, who has also appeared in the corner when Falconer’s ‘B’ team has entered a varsity event, like at Salamanca recently and at the 2017-2018 Sweet Home tournament.
A native of Jamestown, Scotty is the biggest fan of Golden Falcons wrestling and was side by side with the team in Syracuse last Saturday as they captured the NYS Division II Dual Meet Championship. Scotty can be found wherever the Golden Falcons are, coaching the athletes and connecting with the other coaches, fans, and friends.
“The parents at Falconer are the best,” said Scotty. “They are nice. I came in a few years ago for wrestling and I said to myself ‘I don’t know about that,’ but they opened the door for me. They are really nice and they take care of me.”
