by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Ezera Wuori, 18, is a member of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa and he is from the Bear clan. He is a descendant of Chief Red Bear and Little Shell.
“My native name is Niigaan Ogichidaa and it means leading warrior,” said Ezera. “My parents are Richard and Kimberly Wuori. We live in Rolla, North Dakota.”
“I was in football, wrestling, and track through high school but I will be playing football for Mayville State University next fall,” said Ezera. “I am a senior at Mt. Pleasant HS in Rolla. I was an all region football player and a wrestling state tournament participant this past year and I am also playing in the Shrine Bowl this summer. I have been a three-year starter on my football team, a wrestling state tournament participant last year, and my football as well as wrestling team captain this year. I also helped lead my wrestling team to third place in regional this year.”
“The seven teachings were taught to me by my grandfather,” said Ezera. “Humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect, and love. I use all these teachings as a student-athlete as a way to stay on track in sports and schoolwork. These teachings make me the athlete I am and mad me stay true to who I am as a person and helped remind me of my tribe from which I come from. I also respect my native name as it is leading warrior and through sports I have followed that name as I have been my team’s leader.”
“My father is the biggest influence on me to become a competitive athlete,” said Ezera. “My father was a great high school athlete and even became a professional dirt bike racer for some time. He helped me start racing dirt bikes at a young age which helped me become a better athlete in the future as well as make me wildly competitive as well as drive me to always want me to be a better athlete.”
“My mother was also a great high school athlete,” said Ezera. “She helped me with the foot work and how to keep my head up after a tough loss as I can be hard on myself sometimes because of how competitive I am.”
“My football coach Joshua Keller was also a positive influence,” said Ezera. “He believed that I would become a great athlete and taught me how to read plays that has become my strongest skill as a middle linebacker.”
“My wrestling coaches Ryan Mitchell and Arron St. Vincent positively influenced me,” said Ezera. “They believed in me as I returned to wrestling after a three-year break from the sport when I played basketball. They helped me become a two time state participant in my two years back from the sport.”
“Ezera was a good addition to our line up the past two seasons,” said Ryan Mitchell, Northern Lights Coach. “He was an explosive wrestler that always gave the team a chance for bonus points. We were glad to have him.”
“Coach Tory Danielson was always the first person to congratulate me after a big play or when I received post season awards such as all region, my shrine bowl invitation, and of course my signing with Mayville State University,” said Ezera.
“During his junior and senior seasons, Ezera Wuori was a two-way starter for the North Prairie Cougars, a co-op of Rolla, ND and Rolette, ND,” said Tory Danielson, North Prairie Offensive Line Coach. “Ezera has a lot of great traits that stood out on the football field. He has always been a vocal leader and is an incredibly hard worker. It was his hard work that helped him transform from a chubby little freshman to a captain and team leader.”
“Ezera started to earn snaps his sophomore year, filling in wherever he was needed and playing special teams. His junior year we asked him to make a change from fullback to the offensive line. While he knew there isn’t any glory in the position, he made the change knowing it would help the team. He continued to work hard learning his new position and became one of our best offensive lineman and a real leader up front. He also started at middle linebacker and was one of our leading tacklers,” added Tory.
“His senior season he was elected captain by his teammates and was a very strong leader,” said Tory. “Again, he was asked to move around on defense and did so without hesitation. He battled some injuries, but being the leader he was, he was right there coaching up his replacement. Even missing some snaps, he was again one of our leading tacklers. He plays the game with passion and emotion. He is very charismatic and brought a swagger to our football team.”
“I am excited to watch him continue his football journey at Mayville State,” added Tory.
“I’m on a six days a week workout plan,” said Ezerea. “I train all muscles depending on the day and I also work on conditioning and footwork. When it comes to mental areas, I need to work on not being as hard on myself on bad plays but it also helps me be ready and better for the next plays. It’s easy for me to connect my spirituality to my sport because of my Native American name. I was told when I received my name that I was supposed to give a battle cry before every battle, just like a leading warrior would and I do a battle cry before every game. I work on mental toughness strategies during stressful game situations include thoughtful breathing. I focus on my breathing so I can focus on the game. It also helps me remember who I am during a game and also remember the seven teachings during this time.”
“I’m staying well in this pandemic by staying home and not going out,” said Ezera. “I have everything I need at home, including a weight room where I am working out preparing for next years football season at Mayville State.”
“I was the leader for my football team and as a leader I found this freshman on our team was a lot like me,” said Ezera. “This was in ways of being a football player and an all around beast. So this freshman named Isaac Herbal and I became good friends as I tried to teach him everything I knew. A couple games into the season I suffered a knee injury that bothered me for a bit but I played through it because my team needed me. Now Issac could tell that my knee wasn’t getting better so a week before a game against a easier team in our region, Isaac texted me telling me that I needed to take a rest week to allow myself to heal and he told me that he was ready to play.”
“This is the best moment a leader can have, when a player that I was teaching told me that he was ready to play. Isaac never started in a varsity football game but he knew that because of my help he was ready to start on offense and defense for the first time in a varsity game. Isaac played great that game and we beat won 36-0 and bad weather canceled the game at halftime. I was a proud leader because of what Isaac did that week. Thanks to Isaac I got healed and finished the season. Football helped me become an all region player, shrine bowl participant, and sign with Mayville State University. I can’t thank Isaac enough for this or tell him how proud he made me. He helped me realize how much of a leader I am destined to be.”
Photo Credit: Pauline Wuori, Country Memories Photography
