Talent on the mat

Saratoga High School (SHS) head wrestling coach Zach Schmidt is excited with the wrestling team that is getting ready to hit the mats this year.

"This group has the most talent I have seen in about four years," Schmidt said. "Top to bottom we have good experience, but their biggest question is; can they come together and compete as a team?"

He said the squad is out to help each other in a team effort.

"If your 106 pounder doesn't perform as expected, your 113 pounder can say, 'don't worry, I will make up some ground, Schmidt said. "We are a smart enough team, an experienced team, that we can do what the wrestlers have said they want to do since this summer, that is finish a team on the podium at the end of the year."

He said that means finishing in the top three in the regionals and top six in the state. Last year, the Panthers came in fourth in regionals and ninth in state.

Schmidt has confidence the Panthers can attain their goal.

He was sad to lose eight wrestlers as the season starts due to students moving and injury.

"We had 23 but because of circumstances out of our control, we are down to 15," Schmidt said. "It would have been nice to keep all the wrestlers, but we have a strong team even with the loss of some wrestlers."

He said there are four seniors, no juniors and 11 underclassman.

"We have a young team and it will be about if these guys can learn the team race component of wrestling," Schmidt said. "They are used to competing individually, but this new team aspect can put a wrench in how they have done things before."

He said practices are a bit different because the philosophies are different when you are going to the mats as a team versus the individual.

"Team results are first now which is changing the aspects of how we are practicing," Schmidt said. "We have some individuals with a lot of confidence and we have some individuals that need more confidence."

He said going to the Soroco Invitational in Oak Creek, Colo. on Saturday is a good test for the team.

"Soroco is a smaller tournament and a smaller dual, to let our young guys and our new guys to kind of experience what high school wrestling is on a smaller platform and allows them to build confidence," Schmidt said. "The more confident and seasoned wrestlers get to go out and showcase what they have been doing."

He said, because it is preseason, he wants to see the wrestlers go out and use the team mentality.

"I want to them to go and perform and not worry about their seeding," Schmidt said. "Seeding means nothing when you come up against another seeded person, but the way you perform does."

Schmidt said he uses the first few weeks in the season to challenge them in different positions.

The head coach said his wrestlers have done an excellent job on putting their sights on personal accolades on the back burner for the team.

"It doesn't mean they don't have individual goals, but we have a team motto this year," Schmidt said. "I did some research this year and found in 80 percent of our matches when we score four points in the first period, we win the match. So our motto is score four."

Schmidt said four points ahead in the first period was the goal of all SHS wrestlers

"When we win the race of four points in the first period, 80 percent of the time, we are walking out with the result we want," Schmidt concluded.

The wrestling Panthers will be putting their team philosophy on the floor at the Soroco Invitational on Dec. 8.