Wrestling in the Panther Den

Head wrestling coach Zach Schmidt was pleased with what he saw Thursday night at Saratoga Middle/High School when the school hosted Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM), Laramie, Rawlins and North Park, Colo.

"The name of the game with this is getting experience on the mat before the season really starts," Schmidt said. "Every Saratoga and HEM kid got two matches last night."

Schmidt was happy to see John Powell win his first match in high school.

"John winning was a good thing to see," Schmidt said.

He also said there was work to be done on improving what the grapplers are capable of doing this season.

"It was pretty glaring to Coach Stockwell and myself that we have to capitalize on offense and attacking," Schmidt said. "Everyone was notorious last night for backing out of situations that were very scorable. We let a lot of offensive moves go and that is not like us."

He has a lot confidence in his team, but says they are not where they want to be.

"Preseason is over and before Christmas break is the time to work through scenarios and situations without it really costing us," Schmidt said. "We come back from the holidays and we are going to Wright where we will face State Champs Moorcroft and Wright, who is a top six team. We are going to see some teams that are going to matter."

He said the coming weeks are going to be where wrestlers are going to have to work.

"We are going to see a lot of conference kids after Christmas break and 2A kids," Schmidt said. "The teams we are meeting will have seeding implications."

Thursday night, Schmidt said wrestler Heath Cushing was amazing.

He said many teams will be in the same situation that the Panther wrestling team is, coming off the holidays and being ready to compete.

HEM head wrestling coach Lyle Richardson agreed that getting experience was the key to matches like this.

"I've been proud of my kids the last couple meets at Kremmling and Saratoga," Richardson said. "Going into last night I had seen a lot of hard work and toughness out of Charlee Solaas, Seth Blakeman, Mark Seager and David Cruz."

He was especially happy with Josh Curtis.

"I chose Josh last night as one of our team captains because of his work ethic and toughness in practice," Richardson said. "Josh got his first high school win last night."

He said Blakeman wrestles with a lot of energy, but needs more basics instilled in him. He said Seager works hard and is coachable and smart.

He had praise for Adrian King who was absent at Kremmling due to sickness.

"Adrian is a great kid and we need a confidence booster for him, but that will come with practice."

Cruz went 1-1 Thursday night and Richardson said he had the most wins of any wrestler on the team this season.

David is new but wrestles with a high amount of energy," Richardson said.

Richardson is hoping to have injured wrestlers Joseph Borah and Dade Thackton back, but he wants his wrestlers to enjoy their break because he knows it is a long haul until the end of the season in February.

"Some of these new kids are like the morning sunrise," Richardson said. "You know the sun is going to come up, you just can't see it until it does. That's the way I see it with many of my new kids, they are going to win, I am just not sure when."

Saratoga and HEM will be going to Shane Shatto Invite on Jan. 4 in Wright.