Returning talent has expectations high in New Richmond
By Ben Walpole,The Community Press
The New Richmond High School wrestling room honors the program’s storied past with a Wall Of Fame.
Each state qualifier from the last half century has his name and year painted on the wall inside an outline of the state of Ohio.
Funny thing though, this year that Wall Of Fame doesn’t just honor the past. It honors the present. The 2011-12 New Richmond squad features three wrestlers who already have their names on the wall.
“It’s awesome,” said New Richmond head coach Deron Shinkle. “It’s nice to have those kids in the room, so the young kids can see what it takes to get there. We’ve got three kids in there with state experience. They’re all shooting to go back.”
Junior heavyweight J.R. Forsee won a sectional title and was the district runner-up en route to qualifying for the Division II state tournament last year. He said he isn’t approaching this season any differently despite his accomplishments.
“Not really,” Forsee said. “When I go out there, I wrestle like it’s the state championship every time. I don’t underestimate anybody.”
If anything, he could be even better. He said new practice partner, sophomore Scotty Wagner, has really helped.
Senior Brody Hooks qualified for state last season at 112 pounds. His trip to Columbus helped inspire him to ratchet up his work ethic. He trained throughout the offseason to prepare for his senior campaign.
“I practiced three, four times a week while other people were just sitting at home,” Hooks said. “I got a lot better this summer. I got quicker, more technique and just all-around cardio.”
Senior Austin Skaggs is the third state qualifier for the Lions. He actually was a state alternate last year at 119 pounds after finishing fifth in the district, but he reached state as a sophomore.
If those three were all New Richmond had returning to the lineup there would still be reason for optimism. But they have much more. Twelve of the 14 spots in the lineup are returning starters, and 10 of those were district qualifiers in 2011.
“They’re coming right along. They look pretty good,” said Shinkle, who is in his 16th year as the Lions’ head coach. “We’ve had a couple really good practices so far. The intensity’s there. Everybody’s excited to be back in the room, definitely looking forward to this year.”
Brody’s younger brother, Jordon Hooks, is a returning district qualifier at 106.
Junior James White was a sectional runner-up a year ago and finished sixth at districts at 171 pounds.
The middle-weight divisions are absolutely stacked for the Lions. At the 126-, 132-, 138-, 145-, 152- and 160-pound weight classes, Shinkle has options in seniors Corey English, Cody Gabelman, Robbie Lemar, Tyler Loyd, Chris Klinker, Ryan Zawacki and juniors Clay Loadman and Kevin Reid to name a few. English, Gabelman, Zawacki, Loadman and Reid reached districts last season.
Lemar is a two-time district qualifier who missed most of last season because of injury. “The middle of the lineup’s going to flip-flop around a lot. It’s really hard to tell quite yet,” Shinkle said. “Everybody’s going to be fighting for jobs, which is a problem that’s good and bad. It’s good to have competition in the room.”
The upper weights aren’t as deep but still plenty talented. Luke Hoskins is an option at 182. Junior Lance Houser also should contribute. He was a district qualifier as a freshman.
Junior Nathan Dixon (220) finished fifth at sectional last year.
The Lions won both the Southern Buckeye Conference American Division and Division II sectional team titles in dominant fashion last year. With all the returning talent, they certainly won’t sneak up anyone this winter.
“Pressure is a good thing,” Shinkle said. “There is some pressure in there, but pressure’s not a bad thing to be under. They realize that they’ve got to rise to the occasion. They understanding that in winning the league last year, people are going to be gunning for us, and they have to rise up to that.”