2002 Wrestling Previews
By Paul Dendiu
Pilot Sports
PLYMOUTH � Plymouth wrestling coach Bob Read probably wishes the Rockies football team hadn�t turned in such great playoff performances.
�We just got most of our football players (who wrestle) last week,� Read said. �They took a week off, so we�re way behind.�
Read�s non-gridiron wrestlers should pick up the slack while the football guys catch up.
The Rockies welcomes back Matt Simanski (112) and Coach Read�s son, Matt (152), two of four Plymouth wrestlers that advanced to semistate a year ago.
�Matt Simanski is a competitor, and he works hard,� Read said. �We�ll count on him to win matches.�
Read will also count on football standout Nathan Bieszka for a solid year.
�Nathan was the conference champion at 171 last year,� Read said. �I think he�ll be down to 160 when the smoke clears.�
The smoke might fog things up as far as the rest of the team is concerned. Jeremy Humes (171), Nick Rader (135) and Brandon Shanks (130) are Read�s only other proven returnees.
�Our kids have been working hard, but we�re pretty inexperienced,� Read said. �Some things are up in the air. We don�t have anyone at 103 right now, and we won�t have kids in the right weight classes for a few weeks. We have a lot of holes to fill.�
Read will find out how big those holes are this Saturday at the Culver Academy Quad.
�We�re not going to be in the condition we need to be in,� Read said. �Some of our guys kind of hit the wall in the third period. We�re going to see if we can take our opponents out of their match and wrestle our style.�
Bremen
Two words can describe the Bremen wrestling team: young and talented.
�We�re talented for as young as we are,� coach Ryan Rust said. �We only have 21 kids, which is a few less than we're normally used to.�
Rust is used to having seniors Anthony Stamper (160) and David Britton (171) around, and he will look to both for veteran leadership.
�We don�t have as many juniors and seniors as we�d like,� Rust said. �It�s good to be young, but it�s tough to win matches as a team when you have younger guys.�
The Lions managed to post a 12-6 record last season, and Rust believes the future is in the present for a squad primarily composed of sophomores.
�Our sophomores love wrestling. We expect big things out of them this year, and we really want to push them,� Rust said. �They all have ability. It just depends on who steps up and improves.�
One wrestler who could step into the lineup is foreign exchange student Erwin (pronounced �Er-vin�) Raat. He has competed in judo competitions in his native Germany, climbing as high as third in the country�s national rankings.
�He�s really good at throwing. He can be losing a match by nine or ten points, and come back and win,� Rust said. �He should be pretty good, and it will be exciting watching him wrestle.�
What doesn�t excite Rust is possible unforseen injuries.
�We don�t have a lot of depth, so injuries are going to be key,� Rust said. �If someone gets hurt, we don�t really have anyone to fill that gap.�
Winamac
Winamac has been waiting, and the time has finally arrived.
The Warriors lost the Midwest Conference title for the first time in 10 years last season, and they�re eager to reclaim it.
�I�m excited about the season,� said coach Steve VanDerAa, whose team finished 18-9. �I think we�ll have a pretty good team.�
And a pretty focused one.
Winamac will boast a blend of youth and experience. State qualifier Chris Kasten (215), and semistate participants Steve Kasten (189) and Kevin Murphy (145) are ready for another run at the postseason.
�They�ve set high goals for themselves, and are working hard to achieve them,� VanderAa said.
Matt Berkshire and Dan Troxel (112) are working hard to get back into shape following injury-riddled years.
�Matt had 23 wins as a freshman, and was injured a good portion of last season,� VanderAa said. �Dan only wrestled half the season. He�s our quickest guy, and he�s hungry to achieve what he didn�t last year."
Wyatt Reidelbach (125) and Dan Paulsen will also factor into the equation.
�Dan will struggle through some first-year jitters. Wyatt has really dedicated himself to the sport,� VanDerAa said.
The Warriors have dedicated themselves to regaining their conference supremacy.
�We�ve been focusing hard on conditioning,� VanDerAa said. �I think this team will be stronger in nine weight classes.�
Culver Academy
The 2002-03 season will be a learning process for the Eagles wrestling team and first-year coach Brian Dugan.
�I�ve been coaching in Virginia for the last seven years, and I came here not knowing much about Indiana wrestling,� Dugan said. �We have potential, but w�'re basically building the program.�
Dugan has a solid foundation to build on in juniors Elliott Stewart (130) and Kevin Jones (189).
�We have some new guys wrestling,� Dugan said. �There are a couple guys with a little experience, but we could be starting six kids who are wrestling for the first time.�
One of those making his debut is freshman Joe Stamper (103). Dugan would also like to see positive results from Plymouth-born brothers Joe (160/171) and Paul Conley (171).
�The main thing will be keeping our guys positive,� Dugan said. �They have to know that it will be a process and success will take time and hard work, but that it will come if they continue to plug at it and improve.�
Dugan will get his first taste of Indiana wrestling this weekend when Plymouth, South Bend Adams and West Central visit campus for the Culver Academy Quad.
�I don�t how the other teams are because I�m not familiar with this area,� Dugan said. �I�ve been trying to do my homework, and this weekend will be good to see where we are.�
Culver Community
Right across town, coach Ryan Sheets is already busy building his team. Culver returns all but two participants from last season�s 9-9 squad.
�I�m building off a year where I had eight freshmen starting,� Sheets said. �We only lost two seniors, and we�re definitely looking to improve.�
The Cavaliers should be well-represented in their middle weight classes. Senior Matt Peterson (140) advanced to the semistate round a year ago, and regional qualifiers Jacob McGee (152), Ben Robbins (130), Zach Glenn (145), Tony Dee (heavyweight) and Scott Zehner (215) are back for another year on the mats.
�We went through a rough time last year,� Sheets said. �The guys are definitely bonding together. They know what I want, and they know what to expect.�
LaVille
The Lancers finished last year with their fifth consecutive 20-win season (20-11), and all indications are they�re about to make it six straight.
�I expect 20 wins again this year,� coach Mike Bottorff said. �Everybody who scored for is back.�
Joey Urednick (140) leads LaVille�s formidable group. The sophomore compiled an impressive 40-5 record and won a sectional title on his way to a semistate appearance.
�Joey�s one of the toughest kids in Marshall County, South Bend, you name it,� Bottorff said.
Junior Dustin Cook (150) and sophomore Brandon Bettcher (112) also won sectional crowns and went on to semistate, and senior football stalwarts John Albert (160) and Shaun Tribbey are back as well.
�These kids know what winning is,� Bottorff said. �They�ve been second in the sectional for the last six years. This year, we got moved up to the Penn sectional, but our goal is still to be in the top three.�
Triton
Trojans coach Sam Davis may have to ask some of his wrestlers to stop eating.
�We have three 140s, and four 160s, and we�re having trouble separating them,� Davis said. �It would be fantastic if we get to the point where we have a wrestler at every spot, but I figure we�re going to have one or two empty classes most of the time.�
Davis is sure that at least three classes won�t be empty. Tate Chapman (152) will try to defend his sectional crown, while Tim Zick (125) and Rodney Kreft (160) return to competition after a year�s hiatus.
�Rodney lettered as a freshman and sophomore. Other than those three, we�re very young,� Davis said. �I�m afraid we may make some critical errors (at the start of season). Many of them don�t have experience, but they are working really hard.�
Knox
Knox faces an all-too-familiar situation this season.
�We�re low on numbers, and we�re a young team,� second-year coach Brad Downs said. �It�s going to take a while to get the program going.�
Downs has a couple good prospects to help him begin the task. Talented freshman Derek Allen (100) could end up in the state tournament before his career is done, and sophomore Kent Palm (119) comes off a 27-2 year which included a regional appearance.
�They�re our leaders,� Downs said. �They�ll help set the tempo.�
It may be difficult for the Redskins to keep a consistent flow, however. They�ll most likely have to forfeit three or four classes every match.
�We forfieted six classes last year and still won nine matchs,� Downs said. �It�s not going to upset our kids. It�s going to be a motivating force. I�m trying to turn it into a positive.�
One positive thus far has been the team�s reception of Downs� philosophy.
�I�ve entirely changed how they think about wrestling,� Downs said. �Our technique is looking excellent.�
Glenn
Coach Chip Cochran believes brighter things are on the horizon for a team that won just four matches a season ago.
�We took our lumps last year,� Cochran said. �We�re going to be a better team.�
The one thing that should make the Falcons better is depth. Cochran now has a 25-man roster after fielding a mere nine last year.
�We forfeited five weight classes each match, so we were in a hole from the start,� Cochran said. �We�ll compete better in the conference.�
Senior Andy Stull (171), who competed well everywhere and won a sectional title, returns for his final season. Cochran also welcomes back senior Casey Berger (145) and sophomore Randy Hernandez (160), and will usher in two promising freshmen. Luke Moore will take over the 125 spot, and Jimmy Haluck will begin his career at 119.
�They were both conference champions in junior high,� Cochran said. �Jimmy was undefeated, and Luke only lost once in two years.�
While those two may be hard-pressed to duplicate their junior high results as high school rookies, Cochran has high hopes for the direction of the program.
�I�m looking for us to be over .500 this year,� Cochran said. �The guys have great work ethics, and they�re working towards being successful.�
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