Advertisement

Eagles grapple past Millers in season opener

will willems, the lebanon reporter, ind.
·4 min read

Nov. 30—ZIONSVILLE — The Zionsville wrestling team kicked off their season in a positive way on Tuesday night when they hosted HCC foe Noblesville.

The Eagles came out on top 52-24, winning 10 of the 14 matches.

"Up and down the line-up the guys fought hard and competed hard, which is all you can ask for as a coach," Zionsville head coach Doug Welch said. "I am super proud of their effort tonight."

Wrestling practices officially started on Oct. 31, meaning for nearly a month, the Eagles have been just getting better amongst themselves up in their wrestling room.

And while that is extremely beneficial, it can also become mundane, and the Eagles were ready to face some outside competition.

"They have been waiting to compete," Welch said. "We have put in a lot of good hours in practice, and this is the fun part. You can come out here and show what we have been drilling in practice. They were excited to get out here."

The Eagles won the first five matches out of the gate.

Blake Wahl got things started with a 14-5 major decision over Noblesville's Carter Richardson.

The Eagles then got four-straight pins, with Jon Mangus (160), Chase Wagner (170), Luke Penola (182) and Kian McLauchlan (195) earning wins to make the team score 28-0.

"We just wanted them to go out and give 100 percent effort, have a good attitude and execute," Welch said. "There was no real game plan, it's just that we practice a certain style, and we wanted them to execute that."

Noblesville came away with wins at 220 and 285, but the Eagles kept on rolling at the lower weights.

Sully Frazier and Quinn Stauffacher came away with pins at 106 and 113, before Tommy Frazier won by 15-3 major decision at 120.

Hank Phenicie made it four wins in a row for the Eagles with a pin at 126, and after Noblesville won at 132, A.J. Connor got the final win for the Eagles with a 6-3 decision at 138.

"Up and down the board, I am proud of all of them," Welch said. "It was really good to see some of our multiple sport guys like Luke Penola and Chase Wagner come out here and it looks like they haven't missed a beat. Tommy Frazier and a lot of our captains really set the tone throughout the match, and we got a great start from Blake Wahl and just kept rolling. I am really proud of all of these guys."

Zionsville is back in action down in Evansville on Saturday.

Season Preview

While the athletes may change from year to year, the expectations and goals do not for the Zionsville wrestling team.

Welch said the main thing the Eagles are striving for is to see continuous improvement so that they can be peaking at the end of the season.

"We are just taking it one day at a time right now," Welch said. "We want to have fun and get one percent better every day. They have some individual goals that they are pursuing, but we are supporting them and making sure we're doing everything we can to make sure they reach those."

So far, the energy in the room has been really good, Welch said.

For the first time in several years, they had nearly everyone available the first day for practice, and have spent the last several weeks grinding before getting into the meat of their schedule.

"Every day is a blast with these guys," Welch said. "They are enjoying the process of getting better and are focusing every day on what they can accomplish that day. They are continuing to chop away and get better."

The Eagles have some key returners back from a year ago.

Chase Wagner was a state qualifier and regional champion at 160 pounds last year.

Stauffacher, Tommy Frazier and Penola are all semi-state qualifiers, and heavyweight Eli Smith was a regional qualifier.

"Eli Smith wasn't in the line-up (injury), but he is a big senior leader for us," Smith said. "Tommy, Luke and Chase all have experience and they are leaders in the room. But really, up and down the line-up we have leaders that can hold each other accountable. But those guys really stand out and push the team."

Smith is the only senior that is expected to be a regular in the line-up.

Welch said seeing as a majority of the team could be together for multiple years, they are building a strong camaraderie together.

"It's an exciting team full of energy and we are exciting to see what they can do," Welch said. "It's going to give chances for guys to step up and provide opportunities for other guys to be leaders. That's really what it's all about."

Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.