PENDLETON — Pendleton Heights wrestlers are set to open the 2018-19 season at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Hamilton Heights Super Six, one of four away meets scheduled before their first chance to compete at home.
By then head coach Dave Cloud will know what kind of team he has this season, although he already has a pretty strong idea.
For the first time since 2013, the Arabians, who sent one wrestler to the state finals last year, have that wrestler — Tremor Bynum, 195 pounds — back, along with some other top-notch performers.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryWhile the coach is excited to get back on the mat, he said no wrestling coach is ever really ready for the start of the wrestling season; however, he said, the eight senior wrestlers who are taking charge of this year’s squad have the team well ahead of where they were last year at the same time.
“Part of that is having a team with so many seniors on it,” Cloud said. “We have a lot of returning varsity wrestlers, and that’s allowed them to get off to a quicker, better start.”
Cloud and his assistant, Katie (Downing) Kriebel, are looking forward to training and working with many wrestlers this year, including Bynum.
Bynum comes in as one of the top wrestlers in the state, and he hasn’t rested on his laurels. Bynum worked on his wrestling technique all offseason, including going to junior nationals.
“He’s really put in a lot of off-season work — working with some top-level guys,” Cloud said. “He’s really looking good in the room right now, and we’re real excited as to what he can be.”
He earned all-Hoosier Heritage Conference honors as a lineman for the Arabians football team this fall.
The goal in wrestling is not only to get him to state but to get him on the podium.
Other top wrestlers include senior Caleb Gibson, 145 pounds. He’s one of the craftier wrestlers on the team, Cloud said.
Gibson and fellow senior Derek Sikorski, 138 pounds, were all-academic athletes for the wrestling team last season as well as solid wrestlers.
“We always like having the smart kids on the team, and Gibson is one that is also a really good wrestler who just needs to catch a good break now and again and he could end up at Bankers Life,” Cloud said.
Some of the other wrestlers looking to make their mark include senior Jacob Brown, 170 pounds, who was undersized at 160 pounds last year but has grown this offseason and will have a chance to win some matches, depending on the weight class he ends up in.
Senior Jace Longere, 126 pounds, has been on varsity since he was a freshman and has a goal to make it to the New Castle semistate, where he will have a shot to qualify for state.
Senior Jacob Fiew, 132 pounds, has never had a regular spot in the varsity lineup but has always been close. Cloud said Fiew should have a good season as one of the hardest working guys on the team this off-season.
Senior Jessie Johns, 126 pounds, started wrestling last year as a junior and had to learn the ropes. He worked super hard and had a strong off season, and is expected to earn a spot on varsity.
“That’s the kind of kid you really like to see have that kind of success, because he took his lumps,” Cloud said. “Watching him wrestle now, it’s just amazing how much better he is.”
Senior Clayton Todd, 182 pounds, is another guy to look out for, Cloud said. He, too, has worked hard in the offseason and gotten stronger. He’s determined to have a successful senior season after falling short of his goals as a junior.
“He’s been going really hard in practice,” Cloud said.
Cloud is looking for his wrestlers to open the season with a victory at the Hamilton Heights Super Six and set the tone for the season and show their potential, he said.
“We want to go there and have a dominating day,” Cloud said. “If you lose over there to somebody that you are better than, it can come back to bite you in the sectional when you go to seed.”
After the Super Six, the Arabians will hit the road for a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, meet at Greenfield-Central. They then travel to New Castle for the New Castle Invite at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and head to Alexandria Monroe High School for a 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, match before heading home.
The Arabians will hit the Pendleton Heights home mats at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, for the Pendleton Heights Super Six.
