"We were driving back from (the Tanana Invitational) when he was in eighth grade, a six-hour drive," recalled Hoffer. "He turned to me and he goes, 'I'm gonna be a national champion.' "
The elder Hoffer was taken aback by his son's bold prediction. After all, Nathan had just lost two matches and placed fifth at the tournament, known as the unofficial state championship for middle-schoolers.
"He was always a good athlete, but the best he ever did at the junior high level was fifth place," Hoffer said.
But Hoffer also knew his son's attitude, which borders on maniacal when it comes to working on wrestling moves. So he bought a small section of wrestling mat and put it in the family's garage for his sons (two other Hoffer boys, Kyle and Nick, also wrestle).
Nathan rarely left that mat.
"We'd come home and he'd be in the garage with the radio on, going through his stance and motions," Mark Hoffer remembers.
The work paid off.
In his freshman year of high school, Nathan won a state championship in dominant fashion, pinning three of his four opponents en route to a victory at 103 pounds. As a sophomore, he beat Colony's Kyle Wilson -- a defending state champion -- to pick up a title at 119 pounds. Last season, he went undefeated en route to a championship at 135 pounds, setting up a run this year to join Alaska's most elite wrestling club.
Six wrestlers in state history have won four individual high school championships. With a win this season at 140 pounds (where he's currently ranked No. 1 in the state), Hoffer would become the seventh.
While the honor would be a nice way to end his storied high school career, Hoffer said he has even loftier goals.
"Four times is great and all, but there's a lot bigger things I want to do," he said.
Hoffer has already reached his goal of becoming a national champion, winning the National High School Coaches Association junior national title at 140 pounds this spring in Virginia Beach, Va. He also has a third-place finish at the 2008 Reno Tournament of Champions under his belt.
He said he ranks the Virginia win, where he came from behind to beat Missouri's Drake Houdashelt, as his best moment in the sport so far.
"It was amazing, it was the greatest feeling of my life," he said. "I was on the top of the world that whole trip."
Hoffer has committed to Arizona State University, where he'll join a program that finished 20th at last season's NCAA championships. A 3.0 student, Hoffer said he's interested in studying either graphic arts or engineering -- though his primary focus will be on grappling.
"I've always had aspirations to go to Olympics and worlds, but I'm gonna get through college first and see where it goes," he said.
Hoffer's determination on the wrestling mat is a big part of his success, but he's also a dedicated student of the sport, said East assistant coach Scott Armstrong.
"He was able to adapt and pick up things so quickly that we could start moving up to different levels," Armstrong said.
Hoffer is both a supreme technician and a superb athlete who can overpower opponents with quickness, strength and smarts.
"I like to wrestle kinda slick, on my toes, fast-paced, and then just taking advantage of the situation," he said.
Armstrong said Hoffer has the ability to sense an opponent's weakness and strike without hesitation.
"He's watching the patterns, he's watching the guy's weight from his toes all the way up to his shoulders," he said. "There's only so many things can happen, and if we can control and dictate that, a guy is bound to step into his trap."
During a dual meet against Service last week, Hoffer showed why he's one of the most feared wrestlers in Alaska. Wrestling up in weight at 145 pounds, he dominated Service's Nick Gordon, taking him down three times before notching a second-round pin.
Against Gordon, Hoffer showed what he said is both his greatest strength and biggest weakness on the mat. Following a second-period takedown by Hoffer, the two wrestlers went outside the circle and the action stopped. As they stood to walk toward the center of the mat, Gordon gave Hoffer a slight nudge of the shoulder.
Hoffer nearly exploded, his face showing visible rage at what is a fairly common occurrence during a heated match. Armstrong yelled at Hoffer to keep his cool, but the East senior seemed not to listen. Shortly after the whistle blew to re-start the action, Hoffer grabbed Gordon in a head-and-arm combination, threw the Service wrestler to the ground and held on for the pin.
"Little things like that, I definitely get a little emotional," Hoffer explained.
He said he's aware that his temper can be both a hindrance and a help.
"If I'm losing, that definitely plays into my head, and I just have to go back on the attack and stay focused," he said.
His competitive nature is well-known among his peers.
"Even in small stuff, games of ultimate frisbee, my friends will be like, 'Man, it's just a game,' " he said.
Following the high school season, Hoffer plans to again compete in Reno and Virginia Beach before preparing to move to the desert, where he said he'll likely redshirt his freshman season.
Armstrong -- himself a former NAIA wrestler at Southern Oregon -- said he has no reason to doubt Hoffer's chances of becoming great at the next level.
"He's going to (wrestle) guys who are gonna push him, and that's going to be the best thing for him," he said. "That environment is going to be awesome for him."
Hoffer trains every day and said he only takes short breaks from wrestling throughout the year. His desire to become a great wrestler means that most of his free time is spent perfecting his craft.
"That's basically my life right now, just working hard," he said.
And while he's already one of the most successful wrestlers in Alaska history, he has no plans to slow down any time soon.
"There's always someone out there that might be working harder than you, so you just have to work harder than everyone else," he said.
Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.
Elite company
Alaska’s four-time state wrestling champions:
• Gary Steeby, Chugiak, 1970-74
• Matt Mattson, West Valley, 1989-94
• Jed Wade, Wasilla, 2000-04
• Eli Hutchison, 2002-06
• David Weise, West Valley, 2002-06
• Hollan Gravley, Colony, 2003-07
Steeby’s first title came in the 1971 Western Alaska High School Association Tournament, which was not recognized as an “official” state championship. However, Steeby is recognized by the Alaska Schools Activities Association (ASAA) as a four-time state champion.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.