By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After qualifying one wrestler to state and nearly sending two more, there’s a new pulse in Webb City’s wrestling program this year.
“These kids have been really putting the work in during the summer and they’re hungry,” said head coach Jamie Williams. “I think they’re seeing that they can have success and it’s within their reach. The one thing I’m noticing is I’m not doing hardly any recruiting, it’s all the kids and there are more and more numbers showing up because the kids are talking to each other. They’re getting fired up about it.”
Williams expects up to 30 wrestlers on the boys squad this year, with senior Colt Taylor leading the way as the team’s returning state qualifier. He wrestled at 132 pounds and finished with a 28-19 record and will likely wrestle at the same weight this season, though he could jump to 138.
“He knows what work needs to be done and he just does it,” Williams said. “He’s kind of a good ol’ boy, he’s not afraid to get in there and scrap with the best of them. He wrestled some phenomenal kids last year and he didn’t back off. I look forward to seeing him build off what he did last year. He’s making a run to get up on the podium at state.”
The Cardinals graduated three of their seven wrestlers who competed in the Class 3 District 3 tournament – Aiden Moore (138), Aidan Rose (150) and Dominic Boles (157).
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Junior Tyler Pearish is another key returner. He wrestled at 106 pounds and went 21-20 while advancing to the bubble round at the district meet. Webb City also returns senior Carson Farmer, who wrestled at 144; senior Bronson Collard, who wrestled at 165; sophomore Jace Cartright, who wrestled at 190; and junior heavyweight Garret Mathis. Additionally, senior Cooper Heilbrun returns and would have wrestled varsity last season but was recovering from a knee injury.
“We have a couple freshmen who are going to be big boys,” Williams said. “We’ll have the lineup a little more spread out, but we will still be pretty heavy on the bottom end. We’re trying to build up the upper end guys but we’re still getting there.”
The schedule is largely the same, with the addition of a December trip to St. Louis for the Union tournament. A preseason scrimmage will be dependent on how long Webb City’s football team plays. The Cardinals will open the regular season on Nov. 28 with a triangular along with Nevada and Reeds Spring.
Girls number continue to grow
Webb City rostered four wrestlers on the girls squad last season, with senior Kylie Jennings leading the team with an 14-11 record at 135 pounds. Like Pearish, she advanced to the bubble match at districts.
She’s since graduated, but the Cardinals return experienced wrestlers in sophomore Layla Espinoza (140) and junior Emma Combs (170).
“They both had a little bit of a rough start to the year but they’ve been putting the work in and grinding,” Williams said. “Both of them went to wrestling camps over the summer and offseason workouts. They’ve been working hard and I’m really looking forward to seeing them make some noise. They’ve been recruiting a lot of their friends and promoting the sport of wrestling.”
Williams expects roughly 10 girls to wrestle this year. The girls team will open the season at Diamond on Nov. 21.
