Wrestling team takes 10th at Keith Young

By Tehya Tournier

First year head wrestling coach Ethan Wiechmann says the start of the season has been exciting.

“Because of all the enthusiasm, we are implementing a lot of new initiatives, which will hopefully help us perform at a high level.”

Wiechmann was a head coach at West Branch for a few years before moving to Cedar Falls.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the high school hosted 16 wrestling teams for the Keith Young Invitational.

“We ended up placing 10th out of 16 teams. We were very pleased with how our young men competed. They wrestled with a sense of purpose, and it showed,” Wiechmann said.

Wiechmann said he feels they are off to a good start, and that there is lots of support from all areas.

“The coaching staff was able to implement several initiatives. Our managers are outstanding. The parents and community have been very supportive, and our wrestlers are putting their best foot forward every opportunity they can.”

As the wrestling team heads towards future matches, they are doing lots to prepare themselves.

“We talk every day about making our time count whether in the room, competing or in the classroom.  When we do these things, we minimize distractions and are able to improve,” he said.

Wiechmann said the team has lots of  potential to make a lot of gains by the end of the season, which will be beneficial as they head into Districts and State.

The head coach also said there are lots of young men stepping up and taking leadership roles.

“We have several people taking the lead in all aspects of what we do daily.  While we have individuals starting to step and stand out as our leaders, most if not all our kids have shown some sort of leadership already.”

He said the young men are very hard working every practice to be the best they can be and more.

“They are giving us, their team and themselves their best effort and attitude.  This ultimately makes them better and our team better.”

Overall, senior Bryce Pilcher finished second at Keith Young as well as sophomore Jake Penrith. Senior Gabe Penrith placed sixth, and junior Tanner Doyle placed sixth as well.

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