By Kary Booher (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Wrestling coaches are always finding creative ways to enhance their teams during the offseason.
So if you ask Eric Nolan what he did last summer with the Republic High School wrestlers, he’ll beam like a proud parent.
“We attended a team camp called Iron Sharpens Iron in Illinois. It was a combination of technique and competition, and it was a great team bonding experience,” Nolan said. “At the conclusion of the camp, we participated in the Midwest Nationals Tournament, with several individuals finishing in the top six. Our middle school team, which included several incoming freshmen, won the team component of the camp and the middle school team division of Midwest Nationals.”
Call it a good start for Year 2 for Nolan, who is guiding a program that usually sends a handful of wrestlers to the state tournament and sees a few contend.
Projected roster
This year, he anticipates about 40 on the roster at the start of the season. That includes nine returning starters out of the 14 weight classes, and three qualified for state last season – including Connor Sandridge, who placed third.
Nothing is set in stone obviously, but the roster could look like this:
Junior Phillip George or freshman Shane Lile at 113 pounds, freshmen Keeton Overcast and Blaine Richmond at 120, sophomore Shea Rogers, freshman Braxton Zinter and junior Regil Cedric at 126, senior Quentin Bailey and freshman Daniel Gonzales at 132, junior Jacob Simpson, junior Caden Allen and sophomore Adam Dunlap at 138, and sophomore Dalton Phillips and freshmen Keegan Patterson and Keegan Hay at 144.
Keep in mind that MSHSAA has moved to new weight classes, including at 144.
From there and for Republic, it could be sophomore Tanner Gonzalez and junior Braydin Casey at 150, sophomore Chase Hicks at 157, junior Maddox Wilkins and freshmen Cameron Sutton and Grayson Hart at 165, and senior Connor Sandridge, junior Brennan Coleman and freshman Izaiah Hull at 175.
At 190, look for junior Manning Wilkins or freshmen Cooper White and Vyncent Arguelles, with 220 pounds possibly freshman Mason Hartsock and sophomores Aiyden Berry and Logan Folsom. Freshman Landon Stemm is at heavyweight, or 285.
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George, Rogers, Bailey, Allen, Simpson, both Wilkins guys, Hicks, and Sandridge are returning starters. The team is open at 106.
Returning Qualifiers
Sandridge leads the contingent of returning state qualifiers. He finished 42-5 last season.
“Connor is a dangerous wrestler that has the ability to compete with the best competition in the state,” Nolan said, noting that Sandridge had the most falls of anyone in the state with five (no one else had five). “One of those falls was against a defending state champion. I believe his combination of quickness, strength, experience, and athleticism will put him in position to compete for a state title this season.”
George was a state qualifier at 113 last year, finishing 24-10.
“He was close to winning a state medal last year, and I think he has a good chance of taking that next step this upcoming season,” Nolan said. “He’s an aggressive wrestler with a high ceiling, and has some tangibles that present serious problems for other lightweights in the state.”
Maddox Wilkins was 23-18 last season after the state tournament.
“Maddox has stepped up this offseason as a leader of the team,” Nolan said. “He continued practicing and competing throughout the spring and summer, and has goals to get back to the state tournament and earn a spot on the podium. Between his dedication to the sport and strength and conditioning, I think he will prove that he’s one of the best in the state.”
Key starters
Hicks was 30-14 last season.
“Chase was on the cusp of qualifying for the state tournament last season as a freshman and based off of his dedication this off-season I anticipate that he’ll be in position to qualify this season,” Nolan said. “He’s an experienced wrestler that won youth state medals prior to high school, and I think he has shown the ability to win tough matches against quality opponents. Last year he had multiple come-from-behind wins, and I think it’s valuable to have guys in the program that show his type of resilience.”
Manning Wilkins was 20-13 last season.
“Manning had a strong sophomore season, and I felt had a strong chance of qualifying for the state tournament. He had arguably the toughest weight class at our district last season at 160 and was disappointed with the way his season finished,” Nolan said. “This offseason, he has responded by putting in a lot of time practicing, competing, and focusing on strength and conditioning. I’ve been impressed by his leadership and am excited to see what he can do moving forward.”
Sleepers?
Consider Gonzalez, who showed a lot on junior varsity and had some varsity experience last season. He’s now a sophomore.
“He’s a previous youth state qualifier and is excited to prove that he can succeed at the varsity level,” Nolan said. “I like the toughness that he shows in practice and by winning several tight matches last year, and I feel that if he develops confidence in his offense he’ll surprise some people this season.”
Overall, it could be an interesting winter in Republic.
“I believe that our team will show improvement compared to last year,” Nolan said. “We are a young team with a lot of talent amongst our underclassmen, and I think we have some guys ready to prove that they can lead this team to success as we try to build the program.”
Republic Girls
Republic is starting to see high school girls show an interest in the sport.
At this point, the key wrestlers could be freshman Rebecca Clark at 110 pounds, sophomore Abby Horn at 130, and freshmen Bailey Wells and Rae Hausman at 140 and 155 pounds, respectively. Kylie Vance at 235 is a senior.
“We are constantly recruiting girls, and it seems to be gaining interest in high school and with younger girls in Republic,” Nolan said. “Our goals this season are to fill all weight classes, improve our finish at conference/districts, and have our first girls state qualifier in school history.”
Vance is looking for a breakthrough.
“Kylie was close to qualifying for the state tournament last season, losing a heartbreaker in the final seconds at the district tournament,” Nolan said. “She has a ton of potential, and was impressive last year as a first-year wrestler. She’s shown strong leadership, and her positive mindset has a noticeable impact on the team. Her goal is to get to the state tournament and earn a medal her senior year.”
