Hollister boys wrestling return some experience this season, but youth will be a key theme.
“Top to bottom our team is fairly young and inexperienced with a few experienced wrestlers sprinkled in,” Hollister head coach Nate Nicholson said. “Overall though, they are all hard workers and give me everything they’ve got on the mat. They are all eager to learn and are coachable.”
Bryson Whitman returns after qualifying for state at 144 pounds last season.
“(He is) hungry! Always ready to attack and quick on his feet,” Nicholson said. “He qualified as a freshman in a very competitive weight class and district. He placed fifth last year as a sophomore and was amongst all seniors on the podium. This year, his expectations are to make it to the finals.”
Whitman will wrestle 150-165.
The returning sophomore group is deep and includes Ryan Southern (113-126), Cole Escobar (120-132), Titan Kepford (138-144), Gage Harris (144-150), Grant Ray (150-157), Christian Romo (157-165), Ezekiel Norris (190-215) and Bradley Smith (215-285).
Escobar and Whitman have both put in good work in the off-season.
“Cole Escobar and Bryson Whitman have both competed and showed improvements over the off-season,” Nicholson said. “Both have improved on their technique and have shown up in the weight room getting stronger.”
Freshmen Carter Whitman (106-120) and Kaiden Taylor (165-190) are two wrestlers looking to make immediate impacts. Carter Whitman was the Big 8 Conference Champion as a seventh grader.
“I expect all of our newcomers to have an impact on our squad in some capacity,” Nicholson said. “Each one brings different attributes that help improve us as a team.”
The girls team has three on the roster this season including Kami Blakenship (junior), Ariana Woods (sophomore) and Amya Haley (freshman).
