Coach’s Name: Aaron Sorenson
Assistant Coach: Sam Hanson
Class: 1A
Record last year: 15-11
What will be your team’s strong points this season?
Takedowns are always a premium in this sport and this team looks to be extremely strong wrestling from our feet and scoring points. The more takedowns we can score, the higher chance of breaking our opponents which leads to more pins. Also, our conditioning is a very strong aspect in this squad. The fellas work hard during drills and never stop moving, which makes us prepared for the long, difficult, tight matches.
What are some areas you will need to work on?
Our mat wrestling is an area that needs constant work. While we are able to secure takedowns, keeping our opponents down will be more of a challenge. With an inexperienced team, the constant need for pressure from top comes with more experience. In the same sense, our young team needs to improve on bottom. The guys will need to learn in a hurry that urgency and constant movement from the bottom position is the key to getting escapes and reversals.
How do you expect this year’s team to compare to last season?
There will be some growing pains this year. Last season’s team had several seniors and returning letter winners that had been varsity from the jump of their high school careers. With several newcomers in the lineup this year, the experience is lacking but the room for growth and improvement is unlimited.
Key players graduated and are they playing college sports?
Kolby Scott graduated last year as the most accomplished wrestling in Ram wrestling history, as our school's first ever 4x state qualifier, 2x state medal winner, 4x conference champion, and leader in career wins. He is currently playing football for Iowa Western CC in Council Bluffs.
TJ Nutt is another key wrestler to graduate last year. He was a 2x state qualifier, won over 100 matches in his career, won a conference title, and was a 4-year starter in our lineup. He is currently studying at USD in Vermillion.
Key returning players, their class, their positions and any stats/honors from last year?
Jace Henderson is a key returning member of our team. Jace is a junior HWT who won 38 matches as a first year wrestler last season, as well as being a conference champion and qualifying for state.
Ryan Brenner is another key returning member of our team. This sophomore won 26 matches as a freshman and was 3rd team All-Conference. Ryan is wrestling 113-120 this season. Koltin Linkenhoker and Jake Mitchell are our two senior key returners. While neither wrestler had the success they desired last season, they have been honing their skills all off season and have developed into tough, hard-nosed wrestlers and leaders in the practice room. Koltin will be filling the 157 lb spot, while Jake is our 215lber this season. We also look for the Bailey brothers, Caydon and Jaydon, to take a leap from being varsity contributors to becoming well-rounded, tough wrestlers. Caydon is a junior 138-144lber and Jaydon is a sophomore 126lber.
Key newcomers this season, and how do you expect them to contribute?
Dierks Hieber and Titus Morley are key newcomers this season. Dierks brings a lot of experience as a freshman 106lber to our team, as he has been wrestling for several years already and had a great 8th grade season last year that culminated in qualifying for AAU State. Titus stepped in for the conference tournament last season for his first ever varsity experience and turned in an impressive 5th place finish. In his junior season this year he will be a full time varsity wrestler, filling the 144-150lb weight classes. Titus has only been wrestling for a little over a year but has worked all off season to catch up and improve. Both athletes will bring a level of toughness and grit to our team, and we expect them to do very well this year.
Who will be your key players competing in varsity competitions?
See above, pretty much everything previously said fits this question.
How will success be defined for your team this season?
While dual wins will be hard to come by due to a deep conference and an inexperienced young squad, we still look to be successful. Success this season will be defined in how we carry ourselves in adversity, developing every day in practice, and bringing a hard-nosed, workhorse type wrestling style to every match.
Teams to beat in your conference?
Woodbury Central, Westwood, Lawton-Bronson, Ridgeview
Who would you expect to be some of the top athletes your team will see this season?
We will see Westwood’s Jesse Burton, Jaxson Pritchard, and Owen Scott several times this season. All three have previously made the state tournament and are extremely talented and tough. Out of conference, we also run into Hinton several times this year, and they have an extremely deep team with quite a few returning state qualifiers. We will also get the opportunity to face Akron Westfield’s state champion in Cael Morrow.
A few words on your coaching/team philosophy?
Our team philosophy is to grind daily and continue to develop our skills. If we can keep focused on the daily goals, the work will show on the mat and we will be successful. There will be challenges throughout the season but we as coaches are confident in this team’s ability to adapt in the face of adversity. Difficulty overcome is confidence earned.