Like many high school athletic programs, the Wright City wrestling team faces some uncertainty entering this season.
On any day the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could delay or halt the …
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Like many high school athletic programs, the Wright City wrestling team faces some uncertainty entering this season.
On any day the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could delay or halt the season. The program, now in its third season, also has a roster full of inexperienced grapplers.
While there are no returning state qualifiers, Coach Billy Garrett is hopeful for the year.
“With COVID this year, we are taking a lot of extra precaution to try to ensure the health and safety of the team and those we are around,” he said. “Makes everything from practice to competition very different this year, but ultimately we want to provide kids the opportunity while still being aware of the current state of things in the area.”
Gaining experience will be key for the Wildcats.
“This year the big focus will be gaining knowledge and experience on the mat,” Garrett said. “Quarantines and COVID cases combined with our smaller team will make dual type meets difficult to win in some cases. Overall we are looking for improvement from our wrestlers as the season goes on, there are a lot of unknowns about this season still including how the postseason will look.”
The Wildcats will be led this year by a trio of returners. They are David Riggs at 120 pounds, Lance Glascock at 126 and DeShon Johnson at heavyweight.
On the girls side, three are suiting up for the Wildcats this season. They are Lizzie Riggs at 127, Sam Byelery at 122 and Sam Yates at 107.
“All three should be competitive to start their high school careers,” Garrett said.
Success will be judged not totally on wins and losses this year.
“Just having a season and getting the kids experience out on the mat would be a successful season this year,” Garrett said. “We have quite a few younger wrestlers so any experience will help, this year will look very different in terms of being able to compare our wrestlers to those across the state.”
