SPORTS

Scholarship effort honors former Bison star Wichman

Scott Mansch
smansch@greatfallstribune.com

The spirit of Zachary Wichman is visible throughout the property on the south end of Great Falls owned by his parents, Carl and Dianna.

The house where Zachary grew up sits next to the place where he and his wife, Molly, lived until a year ago Wednesday. That’s when 23-year-old Zachary lost his life in an ATV accident in the Little Belt Mountains.

Zachary Wichman carries the football for Great Falls High seven years ago this week at Memorial Stadium.

It’s a tragedy that saddened many in the Great Falls High football and wrestling programs, where Zachary thrived, and will forever hurt the family that he loved.

Zachary Wichman was a standout wrestler at Great Falls High.

Zachary would have been 25 on Jan. 19. That’s also the birthday of his father, Carl.

“With the holidays and everything else,” Dianna said, “we have some rough days ahead.”

NOW, ON THE first anniversary of that terrible event, Zachary’s wife and family are working hard to establish a Zachary Wichman Scholarship, to benefit young wrestlers in Great Falls.

It’s an effort through the North Montana Wrestling Club, where people can make tax-deductible donations to the fund. People also can log on to GoFundMe.com/4k5dah8h to donate.

“My goal,” said Dianna, “is to raise enough so that it becomes self-sustaining. We want the money to be there and available for those kids, if they need it.”

She said the effort is therapeutic.

“So many people helped us, with rides or clothes or anything,” Dianna said. “We just want to give back.”

THE WICHMAN family includes Carl and Dianna and their children: brothers Josh, Jacob and Julian, and sisters Barbie and Megan. Jacob, Zachary and Julian all wrestled for the Bison; Megan was a GFH wrestling manager.

“We all think Zach was the toughest of all of us,” Julian said. “And he was always on the ball, too.”

How so?

“It was kinda strange,” said Julian, 23, and a year behind Zachary in school. “He was only a high-schooler, but he talked like he was so much older. When I think back on some of the things …”

Once, for instance, Julian asked his big brother about having his back in case of a fight.

“Because, you know, he was a tough kid,” Julian said. “So I asked if I was in a fight would he protect me. And he said, ‘If you’re getting in a fight then that’s on you.’ I was like what!”

Julian smiled ever so slightly.

“When I got older, I realized, I mean, you shouldn’t be fighting anybody,” Julian said. “Just that wisdom that he had.”

Did his mother see that?

“We all did,” she said.

During an hour-long interview at the kitchen table where once Zachary and Molly dined together, Julian spoke thoughtfully.

And without smiling.

“That’s the hardest thing,” Julian said. “In high school you kinda get along with your brother, but you’re not buddies yet. But once you get out of high school, you get to be good friends. And we were becoming really good friends. My dad works hard, and he’s gone a lot. And Zach was a real father-figure to me.”

IT’S NOT A STRETCH to say the accident cut short the life of one the Electric City’s finest and most industrious young men.

Zachary attended the University of Great Falls for a time on a wrestling scholarship. But he fell in love, and then decided to get on with his life without accumulating the debt that a college education can bring.

He worked for a furniture mover, a job all the Wichman brothers had at one time or another. Zach was an apprentice in the sheet-metal trade a year ago.

And he was so much more.

Dianna showed a visitor the horse barn in back of the family home.

“Zachary built it,” she said.

The house did not have stairs to the basement until her son moved in. “Zachary put in those, too,” she smiled.

Downstairs, his weight bench is in one part of the unfinished basement. In one of the rooms there are wrestling trophies. And placards from events like the CMR Holiday Classic and Billings Invitational wrestling tournaments, which go to the individual winners.

There are also paintings, because Zachary was something of an artist.

“Look at this,” Dianna said, uncovering a piece of carved wood that was unfinished. It’s a small replica of the Virgin Mary. “He wasn’t done with this yet. We’re keeping it.”

STEVE KOMAC was the boys’ wrestling coach at Great Falls High. What does he think of when the name of Zachary Wichman is brought up?

“Hard work. Dedication. And a big smile to go with it,” Komac said. “Zach was a great leader for us, even at an early age. Every time we turned around, he was doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing.”

As a senior, Zachary lost a nail-biter in the 189-pound state championship match when Kody Reed of Missoula Big Sky earned a few points to rally from behind right at the buzzer.

Though he weighed but 174, Zachary wrestled up to make room for another talented Bison 171-pounder. Komac said that was typical of his unselfish attitude.

The loss in the state championship bout was tough to take, Komac said.

“In the true spirit of Zach, he recovered from it quicker than his coaches and peers did,” Komac said. “Zach was just that way. He was very resilient.”

Komac said the wrestling community in Great Falls is most grateful for the ongoing effort to attach his name to the wrestling scholarship.

“We have such fond memories of Zach. He was such a positive person in all of our lives,” Komac said.

NOTHING WILL ever be the same, of course.

“For the longest time you’d come home from work, and there’s his truck in the driveway,” Dianna said softly. “And he’s not here.”

Julian tried to smile. He failed.

“It’s a piece of your heart that’s gone,” he said. “Those memories are there, though.”

Faith helps the family to cope.

“That was pretty important to him and Molly both,” Dianna smiled. “We’d go camping up at Holter or whatever, and him and Molly were both adamant about getting back in time for Mass.”

She smiled.

“Always,” she said.

It’s a difficult thing to reconcile, of course. Julian talked to a priest, who reminded him that God now has Zachary to himself.

Said Julian: “If you believe in Heaven, why wouldn’t you want to go there? I try to look at it like this: I thank God all the time, because I had 23 years to spend with Zach. And he was a delight. I’m lucky that he was my brother.”

His mother gave Julian a soft look.

Said Dianna: “I think I can speak for our whole family when I say that every one of us feels extremely blessed to have had him in our life. I’ve struggled with my weight, so one day he just goes and buys a treadmill for me. Tells the rest they have to help pay.

“He was such a motivator for all of us.”

A year ago Wednesday a terrible accident changed much. But Zachary Wichman is still providing inspiration for those he loved the most. The scholarship effort is proof positive of that.

“When he was around, our family was just complete,” Julian said.

The family believes Zachary would be proud.

“Definitely,” Dianna said. “Most definitely. He always put other people ahead of himself.”

Wichman Scholarship

To donate, contact North Montana Wrestling club or log on to GoFundMe.com/4k5dah8h