Wrestling program gets boost with ten freshman

Hot Springs County High School head wrestling coach C.J. Scholl and asst. Jake Smith are in their second year, but this season begins a new era for the sport at HSCHS. Gone are the Bobcats first two multi-year state champions, Ryan Bradshaw and Vinnie Castle, who had won district, regional and state honors for the last four years.

Their departure leaves a grand total of two upper class men wrestlers, seniors Colter Hansen and Louie Castle. Both showed good progress throughout last season, and both acknowledge their most important task this year besides their on-the-mat activities will be to model the attitude and discipline needed for success to the dozen or so freshmen entering the Bobcat wrestling program.

"I think they both definitely will have an impact at state this year if they continue to work hard and progress as they did last year," Scholl noted. "Right now their challenge is to become leaders for the younger members of the team in demonstrating the discipline and determination it takes to be successful in this sport."

Returning wrestlers are Cullen Becher, Tanner Boss, Milton Peden Koy Meyers and Tom Severan. While young, all of these sophomores had the opportunity of working with and observing arguably two of the best wrestlers to come through the Bobcat system.

All sport fans recognize that the best view of the future and health of a program is seen in the newcomers to the program. If that is true, then wrestling in Bobcat country is taking off for heights not seen for a while. At a recent practice, ten freshmen - Chase White, Jeff VanAntwerp, Jeremy Gibbel, Ethan Becher, Jon Hagen, Chandler Maddock, Austen Ireland and Jon Harvey reported for practice, and their enthusiasm and energy stuck out like a sore thumb. Even missing a couple of their peers, Tyson Tobar and Mike Wilkinson, they seemed ready to take on the task of making Bobcat wrestling a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The major challenge for the coaching staff this season will be to channel the youthful enthusiasm into sound and aggressive technique coupled with the hard, exhausting work of wrestling.

With the absence of the traditional Bobcat Invitational this year, there will be only two home appearances for the Bobcats. Early February will see them in action in a Quadrangle with Worland, Lovell and Douglas. The following week Lovell visits. Seven tournaments are on the schedule before the regional at Rocky Mountain and the state at Casper.

Leading off the competition is the Powell Invitational on Friday and Saturday. A dual with Greybull on Dec. 17, and Worland's Battle of the Big Horns follows on De. 18-19. Competition will then resume after the new year dawns.