Henry Cleavinger drives down fellow junior Brock Davis in the wrestling room. The Bruins next home match will be Dec. 15 against Fulton and Smith-Cotton.
In the 2013-14 season a bustling, high-octane RBHS wrestling room pumped out seven state qualifiers, four state finalists, and two eventual Class 4 champions during the team’s historic second place state finish, the highest the squad had ever placed.
Two years later lies a program that is a shell of its former self with the mat-clad sauna once overflowing with grapplers housing a measly 15 wrestlers on its busiest of days.
Along with the drop in numbers comes the departure of Graham Ratermann and Josiah Kline, two of RBHS’s three state qualifiers in the season prior. Ratermann was a three-time state qualifier and placed third in the 170-pound weight class in his senior campaign before walking on to wrestle collegiately at West Point Military Academy.
Kline, a three-time state qualifier and champion at 113 pounds moved to Arizona before beginning his final season.
The duo’s farewell signifies the passing of the torch to junior Brock Davis, the team’s only returning state qualifier, as RBHS’s leader.
Joining Davis as returning varsity wrestlers are Henry Cleavinger, Isaac Lage, David Feng, Kian Pilot, John Flanegin and Don Hammers, each with no more than three years of experience barring Cleavinger and Davis.
The team’s lack of experience and numbers, however, haven’t put a damper on Feng’s mindset. He believes each dual and tournament can withstand as a base to improve throughout the season.
“Seeing the team’s numbers dwindle as the season started made me want to work harder and set an example for the newer wrestlers and show that sticking with it is something to be proud of,” said Feng, who wrestles at the 138-pound mark. “As one of the seniors I want to be focused on getting better and show the underclassmen to keep with it even when something is hard.”
Matching up with many of their opponents will be hard for RBHS, who will struggle to fill even half of the 14 varsity weight classes. With each open weight class the Bruins will concede six points, the same total as a pin, giving opposing schools a huge advantage before the matches even begin.
“We will most likely lose most of our duals simply because we don’t have enough guys to wrestle and make it close,” Lage said. “Some of the more inexperienced guys will be forced to wrestle varsity just so we aren’t giving up free points.”
Many of the Bruin’s victories will come morally rather than on the mat, and the team taking the time to get better with each practice. For Feng, who is in his last year, the season will be about building a foothold for the team’s future and paving the way for the younger wrestlers to learn and continue to improve throughout their career.
“Since I’m not at all concerned with collegiate wrestling, my goal is just to help the wrestlers that are going to make up RBHS team in the near future,” Feng said. “And if winning matches is what it takes to motivate them, that’s what I’ll aim for.”
Editor’s note: The author is a member of the varsity wrestling team.
How do you think the RBHS wrestling team will do this year?