On Tuesday Dec. 12, the RBHS varsity and junior varsity (JV) wrestling teams will compete against Smith-Cotton High School (Smith-Cotton) in Sedalia.
Sophomore varsity wrestler Will Bower, is confident in the team’s chances of winning despite facing a tough competitor. Bower is determined to carry out the game plan provided from head coach Eric Wilson: to stick to what he has learned during practices, and to never change his approach towards his opponents.
“I [also] plan on winning my personal matches by staying hard in snap downs and ties,” Bower said. “This [will help] score points [during] the entire match.”
Fellow sophomore varsity wrestler Grant Williamson says the bond of the wrestling team will also contribute to the team’s drive to a victory. Williamson believes trust and reliability among the wrestlers helps them compete for each other and ultimately win.
“Our team bond is pretty strong and we also treat each other like [a] family,” Williamson said. “We will hold each other accountable if [someone] doesn’t go to practice [or give their full effort]. I [personally] plan to go out and control my matches by staying in good position and not taking breaks.”
Wilson and his staff have worked on developing and molding the boys’ technique and character as wrestlers in preparation for the upcoming matches in the season. Wilson says this focus’ purpose was to gain an understanding to where the boys’ skill was at the beginning of the season. He then hoped the wrestlers could learn how to improve themselves to become more successful.
“This is kind of the last week of competition where we are looking for these [adjustments] to start to all come together,” Wilson said. “[I] really want to see the guys stick with their developed game plans [for tomorrow’s match]. We’ve really been emphasizing to stick with an original game plan and not getting discouraged despite the [results]. I just really want to see all of the guys believing in the system and sticking with [their] stuff.”
The entire wrestling staff, including Wilson, says while the team is young and therefore making common novice mistakes, the biggest focus right now is going to come with more experience on the mat. This will allow the wrestlers to gain more confidence for their next matches and have a stronger confidence in what they are doing.
“I [agree with Coach Wilson] that we will beat Smith-Cotton because we have a good game plan,” Bower said. “If we stick to our stuff, then we will be alright.”