West Virginia Wrestling

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Wheeling Jesuit at Washington and Jefferson Invitational

November 8, 2014

Notes from Coach Doyle...

We're writing with a lot of excitement about our first competition of the year. We finished in 4th place Saturday, just 14 points off the lead. We held the lead entering the final round but experienced a tough last round and ended in 4th. Last season, we were 97.5 points off the lead at this same event, so needless to say, we were happy with the progress being made. On top of that, last year we had one finalist and one other top four placer. Saturday we put four in the championship finals and another third place finisher.

A quote from one of our parents that I feel is very indicative of what we're trying to do at Wheeling Jesuit Wrestling and an integral part of the Cardinal Culture:
"I saw some great stuff yesterday not just the wrestling. I saw kids helping team mates, team mates in the same weight class helping each. Team mates in the hall way encouraging each other after a loss. I saw how passionate the coaches are about the sport and about the kids. It all starts with leadership and this ship has a good one. Hard work pays off keep it up guys the reward will be worth the sweat, pain, blood, and endless hours spent preparing for perfection. GO CARDINALS."
125
Dustin Warner (6-1, 3 falls, 5th place finish)
For those not familiar with Dustin, don't worry it won't take long for you to become a big fan. Dustin comes to us from the powerhouse Claymont program and had a decorated high school career that ended with an Ohio State Championship. He didn't disappoint in his debut. Dustin drew the #1 seed in the second round of the tournament. His opponent was a Division I transfer and 5th year senior and Dustin lost a hard fought 9-6 battle. Dustin proceeded to pin 3 of his next 5 opponents with a tech fall included. He ended the day 6-1 and in 5th place.

Brad Kakos (0-2, Captain)
Those close to the program are very familiar with Brad and probably a big fan. Brad was very well known last year for starting us off with a lot of toughness and tenacity last year. Saturday didn't go the way Brad would have liked but he is relentless in his pursuit at success in everything he does. Brad will get things back on track this Saturday.

133
Nolan Whitely (3-1, 3rd place finish)
Nolan is another one of our fab freshman that quickly put our fans on the edge of their seats Saturday. Nolan's first two wins of the day came in overtime before losing a one point battle in the semi's to the #1 seed. Nolan wrestled and achieved a hard fought victory in his 3rd and 4th place battle. Nolan wrestled with 10+ stitches above his left eye all day Saturday. He's very motivated and will become a fan favorite if he's not already.

Tyler Knul (2-2)
Tyler is known as mini Skyler among the Wheeling Jesuit Wrestling team. As most of know, that is a huge compliment. Tyler is one of the hardest workers in the room and as competitive as it gets. Tyler is hard on himself and expects great things of himself. He wrestled well on Saturday and will continue to improve and make the transition.

Jaylen Hill (0-2)
If you get a chance to talk to Jaylen Wednesday or this weekend, make sure you do so! Jaylen is a wonderful young man that comes to us from Canton. Jaylen started wrestling as a Sophomore and I can promise you, the guys in the room wouldn't believe it, nor do I by watching him. Jaylen's success will come, but it will definitely take a little time and patience as he gets used to college wrestling.

141
Skyler Terrell (3-1, Captain, 2nd place finish)
Man, it was nice to have Skyler Terrell back on the mats. Unfortunately we lost Skyler early last season due to a torn labrum and our team missed his presence in many ways. More than anything, we missed Skyler's every day toughness and work ethic that is so contagious. Skyler hasn't wrestled a live match in nearly a year and you wouldn't have known it Saturday. He had 3 very impressive victories, one of which was over Pat Owens (Seton Hill), who is a 5th year redshirt that transferred from North Carolina. Skyler was in full control of his final match before giving up a late lead, but all indications are that Skyler will be a strong contender at every event we enter.

Preston Bowshier (6-1, 2 falls, 5th placer finish)
Preston is another member of this great freshman class and he showed it Saturday. Preston like Dustin, picked up the #2 seed early on and lost a tough 2 point battle in which he held the lead heading to the third. Preston went on to win 5 straight matches in dominating fashion, without any of them in question. 141 is a great example where the depth being created on this team is helping elevate us to the levels we're seeking.

Kollin Clark (1-2)
Kollin is also an incoming freshman coming from us from the strong Claymont program. Kollin wrestled hard all day and was in every match wrestled. He came across the eventual champion in the first round and battled for the majority of the match scoring a number of points. After a solid win, Kollin gave up a late lead due only to being rode the third period. One of the critical transitions to college wrestling is getting off the bottom and once Kollin can do this, he'll be dangerous.

149
Jonathan Barrett (3-2, Captain, 1 fall)
Jon "JB" Barrett had a strong showing in his first event of the year. Jon won 3 matches and continues to improve on a daily basis. Jonathan came to us from Southern Virginia a year ago and had a lot of improving to do. Jon works tirelessly and is always looking to improve with a great attitude. We are blessed to have Jon in our program and he adds value to us in every way possible. One thing is for sure, Jon will continue to evolve into a great wrestler at Wheeling Jesuit.

Kyle Harris (1-2)
Like Skyler, it was great having 'coach' Kyle Harris back on the mat. Kyle had a shoulder injury/surgery last year and has worked hard to recover and get back on the mat. Kyle is as athletic as it gets and as he continues to get back into form, he'll experience more and more success. Being off the mats for 21 months creates a lot of hurdles, one of which is the mental stress that a wrestling match puts on an individual. As Kyle gets more and more matches, this will get better and he'll adjust accordingly.

Eric Green (1-2)
Eric, another member of the freshman class, wrestles with great energy and passion. He is fun and exciting to watch and will continue to learn what he needs to do to be successful. As Eric learns to slow things down and be more effective at what he's good at, he'll give himself more chances to win. Eric, like a few others, has worked through some early season injuries and still getting into full form.

157
Dominick Nania (3-2, Captain, 2 falls)
We all know Dominick from one of, if not, the most memorable moment of our first season on the mats, at last year's Alma Dual. After a season ending injury last year, Dom has put in a great deal of work in the past 7 months. It certainly showed on Saturday. Dom is a dynamic wrestler that is dangerous in every position on the mat. You can expect Dom to continue to improve at a fast rate and have a big year. As always, Dom will ALWAYS be fun to watch and someone we look forward to seeing compete.

Reyse Wallbrown (3-2)
A member of the fab freshman, Reyse has made it known early on that he's going to have a successful future in front of him at WJU. Reyse looked very strong in picking up 3 victories Saturday. Reyse lost to the eventual runner up early on and was then caught and pinned while winning in the consolation round. Reyse works on a daily basis to get better, puts in extra time and very motivated to be great. Again, the depth at this weight class is strong.

Peyton Geary (1-2)
Freshman Peyton Geary battled in all 3 matches, winning one and dropping two. Peyton looked good in his first collegiate competition and as his confidence grows, so will the win total. Peyton has a number of natural skills that will help him at this level and as he gains more experience, I'm confident his successes will be seen. He adds great depth to an already strong weight class and someone we can count on if needed.

165
Anthony Smith (2-2)
Anthony "TJ" wrestled very hard on Saturday and if not for being pinned while winning 4-0, his day may have been much better. TJ always wrestles with a passion and energy that, as coaches, make us confident in our expectations. TJ always attacks non-stop and makes his opponents work very hard for 7 minutes. Like a lot of our returners, TJ is much improved and will see a lot of success this year.

Na'Codie Barrows (3-2, 1 fall)
Although Na'Codie almost gave up the biggest lead of the day, he wrestled hard and picked up 3 wins in his rookie debut. Na'Codie always battles hard and you can count on him to give great effort. Na'Codie comes from the great Parkersburg program and it's apparent in how he wrestles. Look for Na'Codie to continue to improve throughout his freshman season.

174
Nate Starkey (2-2, 2 falls)
I'm getting repetitive in saying this but it was GREAT having Nate (like Skyler and Kyle) back on the mat. Nate had a freshman season filled with injuries that prevented him from being able to represent Wheeling Jesuit last season. Nate has worked to recover and put himself in position to compete this year. As I mentioned with Kyle, when you don't compete for nearly 21 months, it will certainly take some time to get back to full form. Nate will continue to focus on getting back into the wrestling shape that he expects of himself and that will put him in a position he desires come March.

184
Ryan Winslow (3-1, Captain, 2 falls, 2nd place finish)
Ryan looked very strong in 3 victories Saturday before falling in the finals. We get used to watching Ryan break every opponent he wrestles and it was no different on Saturday. Ryan is stronger and better than ever and expects nothing short of being on the podium in March. In the finals Ryan was pinned in 9 seconds (that's not a misprint) so we weren't fortunate enough to see him break another opponent. It would have happened!

Sawyer Leppla (2-2, 4th place finish)
Sawyer, like Sawyer always does wrestled very consistently and well throughout the day. He lost a very tough overtime decision in the semi finals and another very tough loss for 3rd and 4th. Sawyer is wrestling up a weight class as he follows his weight loss plan, and performed very well, even in two defeats. He expects a lot of himself and I know he wasn't happy with his performance, but I'm confident this weekend made him better.

197
Maxwell Lacey (3-1, 2nd place finish)
Max is one of WJU Wrestling's household names and Saturday proved no different. Max pulled off a couple of come from behind wins in route to a runner up finish. Max lost a tough battle to his Millersville opponent, that finished 4th in the region last year. As noted last year, the sooner that Max believes fully in his abilities the sooner you will see him wrestling at the National Tournament. All of the skills are there, we're just waiting on Max to fully believe it. Like Sawyer, Max is a consistent performer for us that we can always count on.

Jacob Haynes (0-2)
Jake "The Snake" ran into the eventual champion first round before dropping an overtime loss in the consolations. Jake is another of our guys that works extremely hard and very focused on daily improvements. Jake is a joy to coach and his teammates have a great appreciation for his willingness to help them in any way that he can. Jake will continue to get better and with that will come the victories. Patience is not the easiest trait to have in wrestling but is important at times.

285
Corey Siegfried (4-1, 2nd place finish)
Grizz, as known by his teammates, made a great run to the championships before dropping his final match. Corey works his tail off and it shows in every match that he wrestles. He continues to push the pace and wrestle with a purpose at all times. He is always a joy to coach and watch. Corey has put on 15-20 lbs this year and it will prove to help him as he wrestles much larger opponents like last year.

Miguel Staples (0-2)
Miguel is greatly undersized at the moment, weighing about 220lbs as he works his way to 197lbs. Miguel has a desire to compete right now, so we'll continue to enter him as he drops. Miguel is another one of our guys that adds great value to our program because of the type of person that he is and will continue to be.


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