GREENFIELD — With a new wrestling season set to begin today, Hancock County’s wrestling coaches weigh in on what fans should expect to see from their teams as the 2018-19 season gets underway.
Head Coach: Joshua Holden
Key Leaders: Cooper Noehre, junior, 152. Gavin Rose, senior, 132. Dylan Dorman, junior, 126.
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Coach’s Take: After losing several seniors to graduation last season, Holden wasn’t sure where the Cougars’ wrestling program would end up.
Fortunately, he ended up with the biggest and most fun group of students he’s ever coached, he said. Fans should expect several newcomers this year who have logged plenty of hours on the football field but none on the wrestling mats, he said.
“We did lose some big guns, but we’re not just building a wrestling program, we’re building an athletic program,” Holden said. “Yeah, we’ve got guys who have never wrestled before, but they know how to take coaching, they know how to work hard, and they’re athletic. They eat it up; you look at these kids and you know they just don’t quit.”
First Up: The Cougars open the season today. Their varsity will travel to Elwood to wrestle 5 dual meets. Their JV will travel to Yorktown for an individual tournament.
Head Coach: Keith Oliver
Key Leaders: Avery Willis, sophomore, 138. Garrett Friesen, junior, 152. Alexander Burton, senior, 220.
Coach’s Take: Fans of Royals wrestling should expect a season of hard work, discipline and consistency from the Eastern Hancock wrestlers, Oliver said. With a full roster of dedicated athletes, Oliver anticipates that a conference championship title isn’t out of the question.
Leading the team from the front is heavyweight Alexander Burton, who Oliver said can run just as fast as his smaller teammates.
“That’s a kid I could tell to run through a wall, and he’s going to run through a wall,” Oliver said. “The way he sets the tone at practice every day and follows instructions without question, that puts him above and beyond everyone else as far as leadership goes.”
The Royals moved into a new sectional this season, joining bigger schools like New Palestine and Warren Central. They hope to build off of their opponents’ success when it comes time to face new challenges, Oliver said.
First Up: The Royals will send off to Arsenal Tech for the John Hurley Invitational today. They’ll face off against Hamilton Southeastern, Warren Central, Boonville and Lebanon.
Head Coach: Chad Masters
Key Leaders: Chris Wilkerson, junior, 138. Chase Wilkerson, 132. Drake Kendrex, 170.
Coach’s Take: With a handful of returning state qualifiers, semi-state qualifiers and a few All-Americans from over the summer, fans should expect overall improvements on Mt. Vernon’s wrestling mats this season, Masters said.
The team is strongest at the 152 weight class and lower, so this is a year where they’ll need to rely on staying healthy. Thanks to a strong lineup and outstanding team leadership, Masters hopes to take four or five kids to state this year, which would go down in the Mt. Vernon record books, he said.
“We’ve got a really strong group of leaders,” Masters said. “To be honest, they can run the practice themselves. We’ve got the program to a point where the kids are 100 percent accountable.”
First Up: The Marauders will face Lawrence Township, one of their sectional opponents, in a dual meet today.
Head Coach: Alex Johns
Key Leaders: Christian White, sophomore, 120. Noah Wright, senior, 152. Brayden Clevenger, senior, 195.
Coach’s Take: For Johns’ third year in coaching, this season’s team seems to be the most promising yet, he said.
Football season is wrapping up, so his team is still waiting to fill up the rest of the heavier end of the roster, Johns said. But several wrestlers on his starting lineup have been competing for a few years, and he expects that experience will carry them far.
New Palestine has welcomed a new assistant coach, Trevor Moody, a former wrestler for Indiana University. They’re excited to have him aboard as well, Johns said.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed that we’re going to get the team to state this year,” Johns said. “A lot of our guys are hungry and want to do as well as possible. Some of the seniors realize that this is their last big opportunity to chase down the dream of winning a state tournament underneath those downtown lights.”
First Up: The Dragons will compete at Decatur Central on Dec. 1st for the Super 8 tournament.
