I can't hide my excitement for this one. Depending on how you look at it, some would say that I've been writing about college wrestling for twenty-three seasons. More on the official level 17 seasons. Either way I've been doing this for a long time. Collegiately speaking I've had few opportunities to say much about my High School wrestling team. While I did get to say a bit about two time NCAA DIII qualifier/Lower Midwest Regional runner-up Nathan Fritz of Central as well as Dan Etter & Kaleb Greiner who wrestled for short periods of time, the past few seasons has been the most rewarding for me in that regard. I'll save it for when I actually speak about him here in a moment but seeing someone from your own High School have so much success is an experience in and of itself. To know that he walked the same hallways that I walked. That he trained in the same room that I trained in. It's just a neat feeling.
Beyond that though, this looks to be a good season for the Kohawks all around. 2021 National champion Brock Henderson as well as 2021 All American Ryan Schott are both gone but I see before me seven members of the crimson and gold who could all end up in the top eight come season's end. With the 2021 national championships being NWCA sanctioned & not an official NCAA Division III event, the 9 All Americans crowned is one of those school records that is always going to have an * next to it. However what is official is that the Kohawks most amount of NCAA Division III All Americans is 6,which they crowned in both 2009 and 2012. Can they beat that number this season? Yes, I believe they can.
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| 125 lbs Alex Friddle |
A 2021 National Champion, Alex Friddle came up a little short of NCAA Division III qualification last season when he took 5th at the Lower Midwest Regional. Going 17-4 on the season, he will look to reclaim his thrown and make it back to being one of the top 125 lbs wrestlers in the D3 nation.
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| 133 lbs Bryce Parke |
A graduate of nearby Marion High School, Bryce Parke was 3rd in the Lower Midwest Regional coming within one match of earning All American honors as a freshman. The future looks bright for his young Kohawk.
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| 157 lbs Brady Henderson |
I would think and I would hope that 2021 National runner-up Brady Henderson is back in action & at that 100% for this upcoming season.
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| 165 lbs Will Esmoil |
You're looking at one of the reasons why JT#1 decided to do NCAA Division III writeups this season. Last year around the first of December I got a phone call from a buddy of mine that used to coach at West Liberty (where Esmoil went to High School) wondering why the Hell with all of the articles I write, why I didn't write much about DIII wrestling. I told him that I'd been trying to include more DIII wrestling in my work, but I was behind on it. He said he would forgive me for now, but he better see more DIII in 22'-23'. I gave him my word. He told me in particularly to keep an eye on Will Esmoil.
He was right, only a freshman this past season he had very good showings at both the Lower Midwest Regional taking 3rd and at the NCAA Division III championships taking 4th. Looking at a possible four time All American? I think so.
With one member of the Kohawks that wrestled at my High School, Tristin Westphal wrestled for Washington High School which is a short half hour drive from where I grew up dang near 28 miles straight east. Westphal was 8th in the nation in 2021, as he qualified for the DIII's this past season. While I am 99.99% positive he will be our starter, I am anxious to see how much Texan L.J. Richardson will push him this season. It'll be interesting to find out.
I was pleasantly surprised when Jared Voss chose to wrestle in college. He was an outstanding football player while in High School. I'm in support of our young athletes regardless of what path they choose be it football, wrestling or both, but having a love & passion for wrestling, you know that it gives our sport something when someone as talented as Voss decides to keep wrestling. We gotta be honest with ourselves. Head to head with football, wrestling doesn't come out ahead much. It did here. I am very anxious to see how he ends up doing this season.
Even if he were to never wrestle another match, Kaleb Reeves is arguably the best wrestler in terms of collegiate wrestling that my high school, Sigourney (Iowa) has ever produced. We've had some really good ones in the past too. Before Reeves, Central College produced Chris Hoffman who had All American finishes of 7th and 5th. Probably the best Savage up until now though on the collegiate mats? Mat McClenahan who took 8th as a junior & 3rd as a senior for New York University. Reeves with back to back 3rd place finishes in 2021 and 2022 has already equaled those accomplishments if not surpassed them.
Now he has the opportunity to be the first wrestler from Sigourney to win a national championship. Matter of fact while I'm not 100% certain, I believe Reeves might be the first athlete in any sport from Sigourney to have a shot at a national championship.
Also take into consideration that Reeves also has a shot to perhaps pin his way to a national title. How many times has that been done? Not many. Is it that much of a stretch to think it's possible? He's won 70 matches and 56 of them have been via fall. The kid loves Greco-Roman wrestling & he's an excellent thrower.
Here's to history. The Kohawks could be making plenty of it this season.
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He was right, only a freshman this past season he had very good showings at both the Lower Midwest Regional taking 3rd and at the NCAA Division III championships taking 4th. Looking at a possible four time All American? I think so.
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| 174 lbs Tristin Westphal |
With one member of the Kohawks that wrestled at my High School, Tristin Westphal wrestled for Washington High School which is a short half hour drive from where I grew up dang near 28 miles straight east. Westphal was 8th in the nation in 2021, as he qualified for the DIII's this past season. While I am 99.99% positive he will be our starter, I am anxious to see how much Texan L.J. Richardson will push him this season. It'll be interesting to find out.
 |
| 197 lbs Jared Voss |
I was pleasantly surprised when Jared Voss chose to wrestle in college. He was an outstanding football player while in High School. I'm in support of our young athletes regardless of what path they choose be it football, wrestling or both, but having a love & passion for wrestling, you know that it gives our sport something when someone as talented as Voss decides to keep wrestling. We gotta be honest with ourselves. Head to head with football, wrestling doesn't come out ahead much. It did here. I am very anxious to see how he ends up doing this season.
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| HWT Kaleb Reeves |
Even if he were to never wrestle another match, Kaleb Reeves is arguably the best wrestler in terms of collegiate wrestling that my high school, Sigourney (Iowa) has ever produced. We've had some really good ones in the past too. Before Reeves, Central College produced Chris Hoffman who had All American finishes of 7th and 5th. Probably the best Savage up until now though on the collegiate mats? Mat McClenahan who took 8th as a junior & 3rd as a senior for New York University. Reeves with back to back 3rd place finishes in 2021 and 2022 has already equaled those accomplishments if not surpassed them.
Now he has the opportunity to be the first wrestler from Sigourney to win a national championship. Matter of fact while I'm not 100% certain, I believe Reeves might be the first athlete in any sport from Sigourney to have a shot at a national championship.
Also take into consideration that Reeves also has a shot to perhaps pin his way to a national title. How many times has that been done? Not many. Is it that much of a stretch to think it's possible? He's won 70 matches and 56 of them have been via fall. The kid loves Greco-Roman wrestling & he's an excellent thrower.
Here's to history. The Kohawks could be making plenty of it this season.
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