Sam Steele said he knows the Campbell County wrestling team has a formula that has worked for its success for a long time.
The Camels have four state championships in school history with the last one coming in 2012, five runner-up finishes and 20 regional championships. The 27-year old said he plans to keep some of those traditions and find ways to make it better, said the new head coach.
Steele also hopes to get more students excited about the program. Campbell County will have huge freshman and sophomore classes this year, he said.
“I’ve always had a ton of respect for the program,” Steele said. “My high school head coach is a graduate from Campbell County. I learned a lot of traditions through him so when I came to help, there were a lot of things he put into the program that I was accustomed to.”
Steele takes over at Campbell County with nine years of coaching experience, including head coach roles at Dixie Heights and Grant County, and assistant jobs at Campbell Co. and Dixie. He teaches social studies at Campbell Co.
The 2013 Boone County alumnus follows recently retired head coach Mike Bankemper, who led the program in Alexandria for 40 years.
“Coach Steele’s work ethic and enthusiasm in both the classroom and for coaching is easy to see. He will hold our students-athletes to high standards,” said Holly Phelps, Campbell County principal. “We are excited to have him taking on this role at Campbell County.”
Steele started wrestling at age 13. Current Ryle Head Coach Tim Ruschell approached him in math class at Grey Middle School after Steele was cut from the basketball team. Ruschell’s son was his middle school coach.
“The reason they’ve been around for a long time and the reason they are so successful is that it’s always been about the wrestlers,” Steele said. “It hasn’t been about the accolades. It’s always been about those kids growing and becoming strong young men by the time they leave the program. They both do it in their own way. When I first got into coaching, I was always locked in on that. It’s not about anything else.”
Campbell County finished second in Region 5 last season and tied for ninth in the state tournament, with Walton-Verona. The Camels return two state placers.
“I know a couple kids that did not place were right there on the cusp,” Steele said. “I definitely think they can push over the edge next year. There is going to be a pretty solid core coming back.”
The two returning state placers are senior Mason Orth and junior Brice Dennemann. Orth took fourth in the 113-pound weight class and Dennemann finished seventh in the 157-pound class.
Orth said a number of his teammates have wrestled since kindergarten. That’s helped them develop some close bonds.
“Coach Steele always encourages us,” Orth said. “He always gets everybody in a good mood. Everybody is ready. I’m very excited for the season. I think it will be a good season.”
Steele does not need to be told about the challenges of the 5th Region. Boone County, Conner and Simon Kenton also own state championships. Ryle finished in the top four in each of the past three seasons.
“I’ve always assumed Northern Kentucky is one of the toughest, if not one of the top two regions in the state to qualify,” Steele said. “You have to bring your A-game every year if you want to qualify for state in Northern Kentucky because we send down some of the best wrestlers in the state every year.”
Steele’s Dixie team finished 10th out of 12 teams in the region, but Steele said the Colonels improved in a number of ways not seen on the score sheets.
“When I first got there, practice was kind of lackadaisical,” Steele said. “A lot of kids wouldn’t lock in until halfway through the practice. By the end of the season, it got to the point where as soon as practice started, as soon as everyone walked in the door, everyone was focused on getting better.”
Steele also credited his wife Leah for her support.
“I wouldn’t think I’d be able to take on a program like Campbell County if I didn’t have her support,” Steele said. “She’s been a rock star.”
Campbell County’s four state crowns are tied for third all-time with North Hardin. Only Union County with 14 and Woodford County with 13 have more.
