THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: Friday, February 27, 2014

When Zion Dixon was a high school freshman, he couldn't even crack the starting lineup of the Lake City freshman football team in the fall of 2011.

But a bit of determination and joining the wrestling team later that winter, and what he learned from that sport, eventually helped him turn him into one of the best offensive linemen and heavyweight wrestlers in the state.

After this past season, in which Dixon as an offensive guard helped the Timberwolves (9-2) win the 5A Inland Empire League and reach the semifinals of the state 5A football playoffs. On Dec. 8, the 5A all-Idaho second team offensive player verbally committed to play football at the University of Idaho.

With a 34-7 record, a Region 1 title and a hefty 25 pins this season, Dixon has also developed into the No. 3 seed in his weight class, heading into the state 5A wrestling tournament, which runs today and Saturday at Holt Arena in Pocatello. Last year, he finished fourth at state.

DIXON CERTAINLY had the size to start as a freshman. He was 6-foot, 200 pounds and is now 6-4, 285.

Corey Owen, Dixon's wrestling coach at Lake City, was also a freshman football coach when Dixon was a freshman. He convinced Dixon to try out for wrestling after football season.

"I'd make the argument wrestling helped him get better at football," Owen said. "He did not have great footwork in football. I've seen him transform into an aggressive young man who's learned how to deal with hand-to-hand competition."

Dixon said the one-on-one sport helped him with several aspects of football.

"During my junior year it just clicked for both sports," Dixon said. I think it (wrestling) helped me with my confidence, technique and the mental side of football. Not quitting, pushing through when it's hard, staying low."

During holes in his senior class schedule and weight classes during the day, Dixon is working with a weight program Idaho sent him, then in the afternoons he attends wrestling practices. He also has a 3.5 grade-point average and for now he's looking at majoring in exercise science and going to graduate school to study physical therapy.

DAN DIXON, Zion's father, played as a backup linebacker at Montana State in the early 1990s. He is a defensive line coach for Lake City and works as a plumber for his grandfather, Larry Neuman, the owner of Neuman's Plumbing in Dalton Gardens. Dan Dixon was a three-time state champion while wrestling for Whitehall (Mont.) High from 1987-89.

"He was kind of chunky back then," Dan said of Zion when he was a freshman. "He was so bad, he'd get kicked off the offensive line and was a defensive lineman. He played sporadically. But he bought into the weight room and what coach (Van) Troxel developed there, every camp and weight room session, he was right there. I think it was during his freshman or sophomore year and he was in a regular P.E. class and they were playing badminton and he was playing with a few other freshman and Van said, 'What are you doing here?' And he goes, 'I'm playing badminton.' He (Van) goes, 'No, not any more, you're in weights during first period. So he took him out of the P.E. class and put him in the regular weightlifting class and then he continued to have weight training under coach Troxel."

Dan Dixon has a pretty neat story when he instilled a bit of discipline in young Zion that eventually led him to jump offsides only once as a defensive tackle in his last two years playing for Lake City. He's also helped his son with a few tips here and there, where he can improve, things of that nature.

"He's developed into a bright young man," Dan Dixon said. "He's into mentoring younger athletes into doing things the right way. He likes to play video games. One day when he was playing a game called NFL 2K2, when he was 5, he (his video game character on defense) would jump offsides. So when he'd do that, I'd pull his controller and have him sit out for a few minutes. That helped put a little discipline in him."

Zion's mother, Heidi, is a stay-at-home mom. He has an older sister, Moriah, who is a junior at the University of Idaho, and a younger sister, Terah, who was a 6-foot-1 sophomore starting post on the Lake City JV girls basketball team.

ZION HAS developed quite an impressive resume of wrestlers he has faced.

One of them was Jace Malek, a fullback who also received a scholarship offer from Idaho. The school honored its commitment to Malek, even after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a cancer of the bones and could end Malek's football career. A tumor developed on his right hip, then the cancerous spores went onto his lungs.

"I was hoping we were going to be roomates at Idaho," Dixon said of Malek. "I wrestled him earlier this year, Jace won, and my offensive line coach at Idaho had been talking about him and we knew about each other."

One of Dixon's highlight matches was a win over Justin Farnsworth of Post Falls, the No. 1 seeded wrestler in the state. On Jan. 18, at the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula, Mont., Dixon defeated Travis Adams of Havre, who won the state title this season in Montana.

Dixon also finished fifth at the Tri-State tournament in December at North Idaho College. He lost to Tate Orndorff of University of Spokane, who at one point was ranked fifth in the nation, according to flowrestling.org, and won a state 4A championship this season in Washington. Another loss was to a state 2A Washington champion, Hunter Mullins of Orting High, who was ranked seventh in the country.

"I'm more confident now going into state," Dixon said. "I was extremely excited. I've been wrestling for four years and I know I've achieved it."

In June, Dixon was named the top offensive lineman at the Northwest Elite Football Camp in Tukwila, Wash., out of more than 100 linemen.

"I played against some Division I kids and I'd beat them," Dixon said. "It gave me confidence I can compete. After football season, Idaho asked for my highlight tape and they liked what they saw."

At the state wrestling tournament, the good folks at Holt Arena will likely like what they see out of Dixon as well.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013 or via e-mail at bbourquin@cdapress.com