Preview: Panther wrestling look to youth for next step, leadership

Experience is what you get by not having it when you needed it as the saying goes. That's a good way to sum up what the Park Hill South wrestling team learned from last year. The young Panther squad went a solid 10-4 in dual competitive, but didn't fare so well with their conference as they went 2-3 and later went on to place fifth at districts. While still fairly young, Park Hill South returns a number of now experienced wrestlers who will be looking to improve on last year's performance.

"We got beat up pretty good last year in our conference," Coach Dan Dunkin said. "I would like to see this year’s team be more competitive in the conference race. We were young last year, we should be much better this year."

Returning state qualifiers Jimmy Carpenter (119), Adam Weatherly (130), and Chase Gray (171) will lead the Panthers this season along with Alex Weatherly (135) and Alex Fortuna (103), all sophomores.

"If we’re going to be successful this year, these guys need to wrestle like they're upperclassman," Dunkin said.

Speaking of upperclassmen, senior heavyweight Sam Eickhoff will be relied upon both on and off the mat as the team's designated captain. Look for junior Bret Rounkles (112) to have a breakout year as his coach believes his attitude and work ethic will pay off on the mat. Others looking to contribute this season include George Barth (125), Justin Haughenberry (140), DJ Dewitt (145), Alex Carpenter (152), Rene Jimenez (160), Nick Gillespie (189), and Grant Kirschbaum (215).

Dunkin's team will focus intently on their conference schedule, where three of their total four losses occurred. The conference title contention will likely come down to matches between the Panthers and three other teams including Belton, William Chrisman, and Fort Osage. None of which will be easy duels.

"On a bad night any of these team’s can beat us. If we’re wrestling well, I like our chances," Dunkin said. "This year the magic word is consistency. If we want good things to happen we need to wrestle tough every duel."

Of course, not only would they like to place towards the top of their conference, they'd like to improve on their performance at the state tournament. Last year, they took three freshmen to state and the ultimate goal would be for the Panthers to increase that number. With any team, especially a young team, those goals will be realized slowly, one match at a time.

"This team can achieve great things. Right now, that means winning the next match," Dunkin said. "Right now for South, being tough is winning the next match."