The Kentucky high school wrestling season is already in its second month. Local grapplers are finding their respective weight classes or settling into new ones. Area teams are beginning to round into form. The big events are still on the schedule, including conference, regional and state meets. Here’s an update on one of the area’s top wrestling teams, a glance at SWOWCA Coaches Classic results and a peek at a girls squad.
COUGARS WRESTLERS IMPRESS THEIR COACH
It’s too large and unwieldy to fit under a Christmas tree and much too difficult to keep under wraps. Nevertheless, the Conner High School wrestling team proved to be an early holiday gift for Cougars coach Zack Fisher.
“As coaches, we love the group we have,” Fisher said. “Many quality individuals that are focused on doing things the right way and improving steadily each day.”
The Cougars lost four important senior wrestlers to graduation and came roaring back with a solid cast again this season. They are led by grapplers at opposite ends of the weight classes. One of them is junior Keaton Dicken, ranked No. 3 in the state at 106 pounds by kentuckywrestling.com.
“Keaton was very close to placing last year at state,” Fisher said. “He wrestled a strong state tournament and came up one match short of a medal, losing in what we call the blood round. He’s a quiet young man with a good work ethic and a good head on his shoulders. He’s improving daily and becoming a much better scrambler in particular.”
Classmate Clayton Badida is No. 4 at 120 pounds.
“Clayton Badida is a quality young man and an extension of a strong wrestling family,” Fisher said. “He knows the ropes and has improved greatly at controlling his weight throughout the season and helping others in the room. He is going to continue to raise his stock throughout the year and is looking to secure his third state medal this season.”
Senior Chase Bailey is also a top-10 wrestler, coming in at No. 10 in the latest state rankings at 215 pounds. Junior Nathan Seth is No. 27 at 157 pounds. Senior Brayton Haaser cracked the top 30 at No. 30 in the heavyweight class.
The girls wrestling team is paced by senior Rose Thomas. She is the first-ever KHSAA-sanctioned female regional champ at Conner and a returning state placer.
The Conner boys put together a 15th-place finish at the highly competitive Ryle Raider Rumble. The Cougars beat the host and lost to Little Miami at the Clinton-Massie Tri-Meet just before the holidays. They took down Clinton-Massie, 51-28, and fell to Little Miami, 44-36, in a spirited battle. Four Cougars came away with double pins.
“We wrestled well overall,” Fisher said. “Keaton Dicken, Clayton Badida, Nathan Seth and Roger Justice all pinned both of their opponents. We have two quality heavyweights that each pinned their opponent, Bryce Sizemore and Brayton Haaser.”
Fisher believes his squad has good momentum heading into a challenging portion of the schedule. The Cougars had a solid showing at the Rumble. They are No. 17 in the state rankings with three of the top wrestlers in Kentucky and more on the way. Confidence is high.
“Our effort is beginning to produce growth,” Fisher said.
LOCALS SERVE NOTICE AT SWOWCA COACHES CLASSIC
How good is the Ryle wrestling team? The Raiders took care of Cincinnati power Moeller at the annual Raider Rumble, beating the Crusaders by nearly 60 points. The Raiders came in second to Elder by the narrow margin of five after the Panthers won the day’s final match, transforming a one-point Ryle lead into a five-point Elder win.
At this past weekend’s Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Classic at Middletown High School against a wider range of stellar competition, Moeller and Elder finished 1-2 and Ryle placed seventh.
The Raiders, ranked No. 5 in Kentucky, were the area’s top SWOWCA Coaches Classic finisher.
“Everybody has to keep working hard if they want to get what they want at the end of the season,” Ryle coach Tim Ruschell said.
Simon Kenton, ranked No. 6 statewide, was next among local teams in ninth at the Classic.
“Being ranked in the top 10 is always great to see, but it’s just a number,” Pioneers coach Jarrod Peebles said. “The team needs to stay focused.”
The Pioneers’ 138-pound Jonah McCloskey won his weight class championship at the Coaches Classic. McCloskey is a returning state runner-up and regional champion but he’s heavier than last season. So far, so good. McCloskey has lost once.
Other top local placers at the SWOWCA event include several runners-up. Simon Kenton’s Braydan Blevins nearly joined McCloskey as a winner, finishing second at 132 pounds. Ryle’s Luke Cornwell (126), Rider Trumble (157) and Travis Steiber (190) also came in second in their respective divisions.
Walton-Verona had a pair take third, TJ Meyer at 144 and Luke Hyden at 215. The Bearcats came in 24th, third among area entries.
Highlands came in 29th at the 46-team event that brought together some of the best wrestlers in Ohio. The Bluebirds are jumping up in class by taking on bigger and better competition this season under coach Colin Roth.
“There are still lots of things that we need to work on,” Roth said. “But I’m glad we were able to see tough competition early on in the season so we can continue to build and prepare for the post-season.”
LADY RAIDERS TOUGH TO HANDLE
It’s not just the boys at Ryle. The Lady Raider wrestling team can claim three champions at the Walton-Verona Ladies Bearcat Brawl. Taking first-place honors were Peyton Brinkman (100 pounds), Preslee Steiber (145 pounds) and Brilynn Gemmer (152).
They come from wrestling families. The Brinkmans and Steibers boast state ranked-boys wrestlers at Ryle. In fact, the Brinkmans have two.