Keyser Scrimmage

On Monday evening, we welcomed the Keyser Golden Tornado to our gym for a scrimmage.  The boys had a really good night on the mats and took full advantage of having "new blood" in the gym.  We started out with a little review session and then some pretty hard drilling.

Steve-O leading the star jumps

After a good drilling session, we went right into live wrestling.  Our kids took full advantage of this time with new opponents, and looked very strong.  We did not keep score in these matches but we were very happy with the outcome.

Live wrestling (except for the 3 in the background)

After a quick break (thanks to Heather Cooper for bringing us drinks!) we had our usual mid-practice ritual....story time.  The guys were a little shy, but we did hear stories about wrecking vehicles and finding cash.  Then is was back to work with 30 more hard minutes of live wrestling.  When everyone was pretty much worn out, we went into conditioning, led by the seniors.  It was a great workout and with the season ready to begin, both teams are a little more prepared for opening night.

Senior leading conditioning at the end of our scrimmage

Overall, it was a great night on the mats for the Southern Rams and the Keyser Golden Tornado.

Many Thanks!

It is Thanksgiving morning and we all have so much and so many people to be thankful for, we thought it would be a great idea to list everyone here.  I am sure I will miss an important person or two, but I am getting old and everyone should be thankful that I can remember anything at all......

So here it goes (in no particular order), The Southern Garrett Wrestling Team is very thankkful for:

• Our Wrestlers.  From the teams in the early years to our team today, we are thankful for great kids who have come from great families who have dedicated themselves to this difficult sport.  It takes a special person to be a wrestler and we have been very lucky to have so many great kids.
• The Wrestling Parents.  It also takes a special person to be a great wrestling parent and we have been blessed here as well. 
• Our Fans.  We have wrestled in a lot of places and nowhere are the fans as loud and supportive as the Southern Garrett Wrestling fans.  We are very thankful to have such a great group of followers.
• My Boss.  He is obviously the greatest boss EVER to allow me to leave work every day and coach the sport I love.  Thanks boss!
• Southern High School Students and Staff.  In many schools, wrestling is ignored and not supported.  Southern High School is certainly not that way and we are very thankful to have such a strong following among the students and staff of our school. 
• Our Assistant Coaches.   We give thanks to Tim Rush and Dan Clark for giving their time to this team as assistant coaches this season and we are also thankful for those who have helped in the past like Justin Gregory, Jason Burgess, Chuck Fitzwater and even George Scheffel.
• Matt Redinger.  He is the man who keeps the athletic programs successful.  Anything we need, Matt is the go to guy.
• Jim Maddy and Tom Woods.  We have been blessed with high school principal's who have fully supported our team.  This is not the case everywhere and we could not have been as successful without their blessings.
• My Girls.  My daughters sacrificed a lot so their dad could coach this team.  I am very thankful that they turned out to be great young ladies even though my committment to Southern Wrestling kept me away at times.  Thanks Sam and Kelly!!
• The Southern Mat Club.  Our feeder program has sent numerous excellent wrestlers to the high school program.  The club is strong and everyone involved works tirelessly to promote our sport.
• Our State Champions.  It is no secret, I love coaching state champions and we have been blessed with the following wrestlers who have reached the top.  Johnny Hayhurst (2x), Scott Wildesen, Justin Ratliff, Brutus Scheffel (4x), Jordan Skipper, Bubba Scheffel (3x), Davey Stewart, Lex Ozias (3x), Coy Ozias and Austin Shaffer.  I am also very thankful for those who have made it to the state finals but fell just short of the title.  Daniel Carr, Sean Sisler and Ryan Bennett.
• Liz Shiflett.  Mama Liz is everything to our team.  She loves the sport and loves the kids does anything and everything to help us be more successful.
• The Bosleys.  They are a great coaching family and an excellent source of material for my stand-up comedy routine.
• The SGAA and Our Alumni.  These people have paved the way for our team's success.  We thank them for everything they have done for our team and for all Southern Athletics.
• Kurt Lear.  Mr. Lear is the man who invited me into the coaching position at Southern.  He is a wrestling coach and a wrestling fan and is as responsible for the team's success as anyone.
• Ed Wildesen.  Ed is the man who first contacted me about coaching wrestling in the first place.  About 20 years ago, he asked if I would coach his son and the Southern Mat Club and I have been involved ever since.
• Jane Wildesen and Jeff Gregory.  They have run the clock and scoreboard for Southern Wrestling for as long as I can remember.
• Heather Cooper.  Heather is currently in the position as the parent leader, heads the concession stand, takes care of hotel rooms and clothing orders.  She is the latest in a long line of great parents who have taken the lead.
• The Basketball Coaches.  We share the gym and scheduling gets tricky, but these other coaches have been great to work with over the years.  We work together for the kids and for each other's programs.
• Walter Lee.  Walt is our go to guy for everything around the gym and in case of injuries.  The man will do anything to keep our athletes healthy and safe.
• Kayla and Mrs. Gregory.  Simply put, if we need it, they make it happen.  We are blessed.
• Maria.  Last, but certainly not least, there is Maria.  There is no person that hears more about the Southern Garrett Wrerstling Team than Maria.  She is always there to listen (and offer her opinion) when I start rambling about every aspect of the season.  The schedule, the next match, the weight classes, the match-ups, the trouble makers (very few!), the exceptional kids (a lot more!), the parents, the staff, the fans...... the list goes on and on and Maria is always there the hear me out and help me out.  Thank you.

As I said in the beginning, we sure have a lot to be thankful for.  We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and we go back to work tomorrow as the season continues.

It's On!

The boys, stretching it out on day #1

          The 2012/2013 wrestling season has begun.  We are done with 2 practices and it looks to be a very promising season.  We have a nice mix of experienced studs and eager new wrestlers and they have been working extremely hard to learn new skills and improve their existing skills.

Co-Captain Scott Cooper working on a front headlock

          In all aspects of practice so far this season, we have seen exciting improvements for previous years.  The running has been fast-paced, the stretching has been better than ever (despite the photo I posted on facebook), the willingness to learn and improve has been excellent and the intensity during the live wrestling sessions has been strong.  Above all, the attitude has been as  good as any team I have ever coached.  This group of young men will be a joy to work with this season.

          Yesterday, on day #2, we selected team captains.  We are happy to announce, seniors Scott Cooper, Cooper McCauley and Stephen Collins will be leading our team this season.  These three young men have happily accepted the role as leader and will work very hard to help the coaches develop this team into a diciplined, successful group.

"Story Time"

          Many things are different this season, but three things have remained the same.  The first is that the coaches and wrestlers are looking for great things from the Southern Garrett Wrestling team this year, secondly, we still have "story time" every day and thirdly, we still meet in our secret meeting room every day.  These are three traditions that will remain and may never change as long as the Rams are hitting the mats.