Beat Down Wrestlers!
by Zack Scordato
February 21, 2008
Recently we sent one of our editors to interview Wrestling Coach Ben Morris. These are some of the general questions we asked and his responses.
1. What were your expectations for the start of the season?
I had a frustrating off‑season with this group. Very few wrestlers came to our off‑season club practices and I did not feel enough wrestlers were going to off‑season tournaments. So, I did not expect great results from the returning wrestlers. The incoming Freshmen were an unknown entity and I had to wait to see what they would bring. Week after week, this group surprised me. Although they still do not train as hard or as consistently as I would like them to, they consistently perform well enough to win in Class A.
2. Did you do anything differently this year versus previous years?
Yes. We wrestled live, or "sparred", more in practice than in previous years. I hoped to get them to one hour of continuous live wrestling by the end of the year, but we only got to around 30 minutes of continuous live goes before we started our taper for Regionals. Even so, I feel the team got physically and mentally tougher than in previous years. I think we have a long way to go in this area, but we made positive strides this year.
3. How do you think the guys will finish out this season?
I believe we will bring home a state trophy (top 4). I will be disappointed if we do not.
4. What is your overall record?
We are 22‑1 going into team sectionals against Orion tonight. (Side note: SVHS defeated Orion on Tuesday night and are heading to the next round this Saturday (Feb. 24).
5. Were there any surprises at Sectionals?
Yes. I did not expect Nick Harrison to lose to Tom Hood of Morrison, I did not expect Tony Whaley to lose to Cameron Vance, I did not expect Zach Patterson to win the tournament, and I did not expect Barry Glaudel to win the tournament. I also believed Jake Hicks had the ability to qualify for state. The other results were about what I expected.
6. Most Improved?
There are several wrestlers who improved greatly since last year and even since the beginning of the year.
Barry Glaudel improved greatly on his defense this year.
Cody Brewingtonmade great improvements with his composure and psychological skills.
Alex Bunk, Jake Hicks, Dan Kunkle, and Brandon Person improved in a general overall way over last year.
Most Consistent?
I think Nick Harrison and Tony Whaley would be considered the most consistent performers on the team.
The leader?
This team really lacked leadership at many times during the year. I don't think anyone ever stepped up and took over that leadership role. Therefore, I had to provide that leadership throughout the year. This team needed to be pushed.
7. How do you feel the season went overall?
I think this was a good season. We won two tournaments‑Riverdale and our own tournament. We finished second in Conference after finishing fourth last year. The team came together to win the Regional title, performed well in Sectionals‑qualifying eight for the State Tournament and we had four All‑State individuals. We have a shot to qualify for the State Dual Team Tournament if we win tonight (which they did).
