Parkview has a new coach in William Ressel who takes over a Parkview program that failed to qualify a wrestler for the state tournament last year.
The Vikings did have three placers at the Ozark Conference Tournament. Two of those wrestlers have graduated led by Joseph Woodiel.
“Those two kids represented just how far Parkview wrestling has come in the last few years,” Ressel said, “Joseph Woodiel in particular was a four-year letterman for us, owns almost every wrestling record in school history and in 2014, along with Cole Oliver was the first State Qualifier Parkview had in wrestling for quite some time. They represent what hard work can do for you as a wrestler and they will both be missed this year.”
Gavin Devic is the third placer from last year and is back after finishing fourth the Ozark Conference Tournament at 132 pounds. He also made it to the bubble match at the district tournament coming up one win short of a state tournament appearance.
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“We expect Gavin to have a great season. His personal goal is to get to state this year and when it’s all said and done for him, he should break all of the wrestling records our school has by season’s end,” Ressel said.
For this season, Devic will most likely be wrestling around 138 or 145.
Kenyon Keiber, Bryan Lam and CJ Loveall will be Parkview’s other top returning wrestlers.
Loveall is a third-year varsity wrestler for the Vikings.
“He has shown steady improvement each year,” Ressel said. “His win total has gradually increased and we expect big things from him for this year.”
Senior Pete Gonzales will be a new name for the high school varsity roster, but a familiar face to the room. He wrestled in middle school in Springfield before moving to Colorado. He moved back last spring and will man the 160-pound class this year.
“We’re very excited to see how far he’s come since he was gone and we look for him to make an impact for us,” Ressel said.
Ressel hopes to establish a new culture in his first season as head coach.
“As the new coach coming into the program, I am expecting the wrestlers to be ready for change, new ideas, and different looking practices than they are used to having,” Ressel said. “The expectation is to work hard, get better each day, and do things right on and off the mat.”
Parkview opens the season on Dec. 3 at the Bolivar Tournament.
