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Wrestling with potential: Mules grapplers open season Friday
The Poplar Bluff wrestling program continues to trend in the right direction, according to head coach Kelton Thompson, a proud Mules alum who wants to maximize everything he can out of his roster.
Well, despite losing three state qualifiers from a year ago, Thompson, who graduated from the school in 2009 and is in his fifth year as the head coach, is locked and loaded to do just that as both his boys and girls squads appear to be stocked full of talented returners who will combine with a number of potentially successful newcomers.
It all kicks off for the girls 5 p.m. Friday at the Patriot Classic at Parkway South High School up in St. Louis, followed by the boys 9 a.m. Saturday.
The program comes off a year where 14 matches by both sides combined captured win at the state finals, so the bar has indeed been raised. Thompson said that total was likely more than the past 15 years combined.
“We are coming off probably our best state performance by far since we have been up in big school, Class 4,” Thompson said. “We put a lot into getting wrestlers at the state level. We shifted the focus when we jumped from Class 3 – which was my first year as head coach – the level of competition was drastic and so it took us a few years to build a schedule and the offseason preparation we needed. We focused everything on the district tournament.
“Every tournament we attend this year, we are taking data points and making corrections afterward. We are able to develop our wrestlers in a more effective way. It just took us some time to be able to do that.”
Thompson said the leadership in the wrestling room has helped and the coaches tweaked some of their philosophy to elevate the program’s profile.
“We have a good solid group around the (boys) leaders),” Thompson said. “We got a combo with guys with some experience and a couple of guys that have had really good offseason and dedicated a good part of the summer and other parts of the year to wrestling and will be a part of the lineup too.
“We are just trying to maximize each one of our guys.”
The boys return state medalist Lucas Robertson (fifth at 145 pounds) and Zoe Freeman (fifth, 174 pounds).
“Lucas finished fifth in probably the toughest weight class in the state,” Thompson said. “The kids that took first and second, were pound-for-pound the two best wrestlers in the state and are starting as true freshman at the (collegiate) Division I level.
“Zoe went 42-3 as a freshman and she only had one regular season loss last year.”
Junior Logan Hite returns after qualifying at state and winning his first match.
“He’s had a really good offseason and wrestled with the Missouri National team this summer in the Greco division,” Thompson said. “We are expecting big things from him.”
Hite said the trend forward is churning forward and he is optimistic about the impact of the younger guys.
“I feel like all these people in here are having some good practices and are locked in,” Hite said. “Most of us grew up wrestling from a young age, so we have a lot of experience.
“Give the freshmen a couple of years and they’ll be pretty good.”
The Poplar Bluff starting lineup for its trip north Friday includes: The Mules – Trey Huskey (freshman, 106 pounds), Caden Hambrick (sophomore, 126), Garrett Dearborn (freshman, 132), Grant Reynolds (sophomore, 138), Dace Wisdom (senior, 144), Lucas Robertson (senior, 150), Kayden Walker (sophomore, 157), Jack Ernst (junior, 165), Logan Hite (junior, 175), Daine Dugas (senior, 190), Hudson Matthews (senior, 215) and Daniel Baker (junior, 285). The 113-pound weight class will be vacated this weekend.
The Lady Mules will see Kayleigh Dazey (sophomore, 105), Morgan Cisne (sophomore, 130), Maddie Porter (freshman, 135), Kylee Hayman (sophomore, 155) and Zoe Freeman (sophomore, 170).
Senior Madison Hayman will not wrestle at 140 but is expected 6 p.m. Tuesday when Poplar Bluff hosts Washington.
“It’s the fifth year for girls and it has really taken off,” Thompson said. “Zoe took the state by storm last year and kept winning as the season went on. We have some good girls coming back – Kayleigh has a year under her belt and we are expecting big things from her. (Madison Hayman) has made drastic improvement and she is going to put the state on notice. Kylee has also made drastic improvement.”
Dazey said girls wrestling is rising at a slow burn and the talent level is going to show itself as the season progresses.
“(The talent) is growing very large,” Dazey said. “I think we have the potential to do very great this year. We have some new girls are catching on really quick. They are (learning) what we are doing and are getting good at it.
“We are very competitive and do not like to lose. If it’s a 1-on-1 sport, it’s on you and something with your drilling or something else. It’s a very rewarding sport.”
Dazey believes more than one girl can bring a medal home from state this year.
“It’s going to take hard work, effort and not giving up.”
In the end, the prize is in sight from day one, and the objective is to steer the ship in that direction.
“If we have 10 losses that’s OK; we will be ready to wrestle as opposed to 2-3 losses, but we haven’t seen the level of competition that is consistent with our Class 4 District 1 level,” Thompson said.