By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
Change is in store for the Carthage wrestling program after longtime head coach Kenny Brown stepped down following last season.
Brown spent more than two decades coaching the Tigers, but his replacement will be a familiar face to Carthage wrestling: Nate Kelly, a 2011 Carthage graduate who’s been on Brown’s staff the last eight years after previously serving as an assistant at Springfield Central while in college.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to take over the Carthage wrestling program,” Kelly said. “Coach Brown made a huge impact in the lives of all his wrestlers, including me. I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside him the past eight years and learn the impact a great coach can have. It’s definitely going to be a year of learning and growing for the boys and girls teams, as well as our coaching staff.”
Carthage sent four wrestlers to state last year: Tanner Putt qualified at 106, Bradyn Tate placed sixth at 132, Grey Petticrew placed sixth at 150 and Davion King placed fourth at 165.
Petticrew and King both graduated, but Putt returns as a junior and Tate for his senior season. Tate surpassed 100 wins last season and now stands at 104-26 for his career, while Putt went 30-15 last season as a sophomore.
“What a great time to take over, during Bradyn Tate’s senior year,” Kelly said. “He is such a natural leader for our team, putting in summer work at camps and open mats and stopping to teach our newest wrestlers along the way.”
“All these guys are kids I coached back in kids club as well,” Kelly said. “I’ve watched them grow up through the years. We’ve got a pretty solid junior class of kids that has been waiting behind last year’s seniors and they’re ready to step up and take their new spot.”
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Beyond Tate and Putt, the Tigers have several other notable returners. Junior Grady Huntley went 28-16 last season at 120 and lost in the bubble match at districts. Junior Aydan Nye went 18-11 at 126. Junior David Recinos was 27-12 at 285. And senior Alexander Salas-Marquez was 6-4 at 215 before getting injured.
Several previous junior varsity wrestlers will be looking to find a spot in the lineup, including senior Indiana Gray, juniors Wyatt Hole and Emerson Ixcol, and sophomores Mason Pugh, Blayne Benefiel, Lenny Teo and Hector Escobar.
Kelly’s goals for the team include a dual winning percentage of 75 percent or better, ending the year with at least three Academic All-State wrestlers and recognizing at least five athletes each week for demonstrating “the traits we’re looking for in our kids.”
Carthage will open the season with an assembly dual at Carl Junction on Nov. 28, with the Tigers’ first action at home slated for Dec. 5 against Webb City. Carthage has added the Bentonville West tournament in December and a senior night match against Kickapoo in January. The Tigers will also host their holiday dual tournament on Dec. 28.
Carthage adds girls wrestling in 2023-24
For the last few years, Kelly said, the wrestling program has pledged to have a girls team if there was interest. That interest hasn’t materialized until now, and the school board recently approved the addition of girls wrestling this season.
“We had some girls who wrestled in junior high last year and so they’re coming up and we knew they were looking for a team to belong to and we were able to get that ball rolling,” Kelly said.
Eleven girls showed up at an interest meeting and Kelly expects to be able to fill nine or 10 different weight classes. The team is still working out scheduling details.
Freshmen Mischa Drackert, Irish Lee and Tara Palmer all attended summer weights and open mat.
