Although the Grapplers have not quite enjoyed the same success as the football team has over the past several years, coach Jermaine Jones has led the team up the ladder. The Gryphs have qualified 3 years in a row for the State Playoffs and have been co-champions of the NEW 6 Conference 2 years running. Just as the football team, though, Jones has lost a ton of starters to graduation. Gone are the Big Four from last year - Alfaro, Silver, Williamson and Cross. The team will be without their 400 or so individual wins, Conference Championships, State Qualifiers and leadership.
The torch has been passed to this year's seniors: 2009 State Qualifiers Chandler Phillips and Ahmir Scott, along with Johnny Stewart (who missed qualifying for states by one match) and Justin Atkinson. Add in returning Sophomore J.K. Williamson, and that's the bulk of the team's varsitiy experience on the mat. This year's Gryphons will rely on returners with less experience stepping up to fill big shoes and to what appears to be a fairly solid set of freshmen coming up.
At this point, it's hard for me to expect the same level of success from this year's team with so many question marks. Jones will need to fill a lot of weight classes with inexperienced guys, but who is to say there can't be two or three guys who can have the kind of freshman campaigns that Alfaro, Scott, Phillips, or Williamson had as freshmen? There are a couple of returners who didn't see much action last year, but did well when they were called on. Just as with the pre-season chatter about this year's football team, there is both reason for concern and optimism.
Last year's team, as good as they were individually and competitive as a team, didn't have the roster to fill all the weight classes. They perpetually wrestled teams & gave away 3 or 4 matches by forfeit. Can this year's team field a full squad?
First things first. Each potential member must pass a hydration test before he can compete. Along with that test, they will do their initial weigh-ins and have a skin-fold test. These tests are designed to protect each athlete. The sport of wrestling is demanding in the fact that each wrestler has to get down (or up) to - and maintain - a certain weight. Coaches "assign" weights that each wrestler will compete at, based on their rosters. The skin-fold and initial weight measurements determine the lowest weight an athlete can compete at. In addition, there is a set amount of weight wrestlers can lose per week to get down to their competitive weights.
Although the combination of hydration and skin fold tests and initial weigh-in, plus a cap on weight loss per week seems to be complicated, the bottom line to the experienced athlete is to come in to the season in shape. Or, as we say; a lean mean wrestling machine - from day one.
I'm sure several of the team's veterans have spent the off-season wrestling in tournaments, working out, rolling on the mat, working on moves and pumping iron. They'll be ready to go when the first match rolls around. The Season opener will be at Home against Tarboro High on November 18 at 7:00pm. Come out and support this year's model.
(photo - Dedrick Silver, 2008 RM graduate)
- the 2009-2010 version of the Gryphons will look to rack up a number of medals that rivals the amounts of last year and years prior
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