By Kary Booher
If you’re going to be a high school wrestling coach in the Ozarks, best to have a passion for the sport. And, fortunately for the Camdenton Lakers, that describes coach Joe Herman.
This year marks the second for Herman, who had a tough act to follow when he got the job. For nine years, it belonged to Patrick Darby, the 2015 Ozark Conference Coach of the Year who has since gone on to coach high school in wrestling-mad Iowa.
But having wrestled at Oak Grove High School, which won back-to-back state championships while he was on the team, Herman is eager to continue raising Camdenton’s wrestling profile.
“It makes it challenging, especially in a football community,” Herman said. “And Camdenton is kind of in a dead spot. There’s not a lot of a wrestling mentality just yet.”
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Just yet is the key phrase, and Camdenton has an opportunity to draw more attention this season, particularly with its roster and the fact it will host a Class 3 district tournament.
To enhance the program, Herman has brought in assistant Joe Drake, a former wrestler at Oak Grove rival Maryville, and also assisting is Grant Leighty, a former wrestling coach in northern Missouri.
So far, there are positive signs. About 30 had signed up before late October to join the team, raising the likelihood of a full lineup a year after the team forfeited four weight classes in duals.
Two state qualifiers are on the roster. David Prather advanced last year at 132 and should return to that weight. The team also has Keegan Darby, who was a state qualifier at 126 in 2015.
“(Prather) was a second-year wrestler last year,” Herman said. “He has some real natural athleticism, and his energy level is through the roof. And he’s really strong for a kid that never really found the weight room until the last couple of years.”
Darby should be a leader in the room, too. He is at 138.
“As a senior captain, he’s got a lot of drive,” Herman said. “He went to a came in Iowa this summer and it helped his mentality. It helped him get that edge.”
Keep an eye on 152-pound senior Zion Vasquez, a three-year starter.
“He’s really looking to make a difference,” Herman said. “He’s fallen short (of a state berth), and he’s doing everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The rest of the projected lineup includes freshman Wyatt Stamper at 106, freshmen Connor Morgan, Colten Libby or Jacob Fuglsang at 113, junior Gab Blaine or freshman Emilio Zabala at 126, sophomore Gabe Kutz and Prather at 132, junior Blake Lapine at 152 and junior Winton Neal at 160.
In the upper weights, look for senior Justin Zabala or freshman Wyatt Jackson at 170, senior Giusep Lopez-Ramirez at 182, junior Mason Tibbens at 195 and senior Alex Jimenez at 220.
If Herman can find a football player to handle the heavyweight role, the lineup will be full.
“Giving up 25 to 30 points a dual is so hard to come back from,” Herman said. “It makes it a lot easier now to convince kids that they’re not going to lose a dual before it even begins. Fortunately, we had a pretty good summer, and we’re pretty excited for the season.”
