Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Eric Van Boekhout, Concord High
Grade: Senior
School: Concord High School
Sport: Wrestling
CONCORD, CA (Mar. 18, 2025) — Van Boekhout began wrestling for the Bears (then the Minutemen) as a sophomore and finished this senior season enjoying some highlight moments with his team. Concord earned fourth place at the North Coast Section Division II dual championships where their two losses were to eventual champion Livermore and then to Arroyo in the third-place match. Individually, he won the silver medal at the Diablo Athletic League championships in the 159-pound weight class. Earlier in the season he won the most outstanding wrestler award at the East Bay Invitational. Like many standout wrestlers in the area, he honed his skills at the Community Youth Center in Concord.
Coach Sean King says of his senior stalwart, “Eric possesses all the attributes you would expect in a successful wrestler. He’s determined, disciplined, works hard, etc. But, my favorite quality about Eric is his passion for the sport. I think all the other positive qualities—physical, mental and technical—he displays come from his passion for the sport of wrestling, and that is something you can’t really train. On top of that, he’s fearless and ambitious. He never looks frightened when he steps on the mat, and that says a lot, because wrestling can be a very scary sport.”
‘Greatest sport in the world’
Van Boekhout, who also earned a varsity letter in swimming and water polo during his time at Concord High, backs up his coaches’ thoughts. “Wrestling is the greatest sport in the world. There is no other sport that creates discipline like wrestling. Everything you accomplish in wrestling is on you. You can’t blame your losses on your teammates and nobody else can take credit for your victories. There aren’t any excuses. What you put into wrestling is what you get out of it. Period. If you win a match, you get all the glory for it. If you have a tough loss, then you better get back to work. For some people that’s scary. They don’t want the responsibility of knowing that whatever happens is on them.
“What really makes wrestling special is the people you meet, though. While it’s an individual sport, the bond you get with your teammates is like no other. You go to battle with them every day at practice, you sweat and bleed with them in the wrestling room, you cut weight together, you cheer each other on at tournaments and bring each other back up after a loss. Working hard together and getting better every single day evokes a certain level of toughness from everyone on the team. When you’re surrounded by people who are all trying to better themselves, you naturally fall in line and everybody grows from it. The friends you make on the wrestling team are some of the best friends you’ll ever have. They’re the only people who can truly relate to you and what you go through. All of my best friends I know through wrestling and I’m sure the bonds I have with them will last my whole life.”
Future plans
The senior has a 4.08 GPA and says after graduating this spring he plans on either joining the Marine Corps or wrestling at a community college.”
The Pioneer congratulates Eric and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry. laceyandruzicka.com.
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps they have shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or a great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.