After sending three wrestlers to the state tournament last year, the Dove Creek Bulldogs have only four wrestlers out for the 2015-2016 season.
Returning for the Bulldogs are Case Baughman, Ricky Adams and Rhett Quackenbush, with newcomer Logan Myers rounding out the squad. While Myers is entering his first year, the other Bulldogs bring valuable experience.
Baughman placed third at the state tournament last year, and Adams and Quackenbush were each one match away from qualifying for state.
Head coach Shane Baughman said all three returners have their sights on a state appearance, noting their performances at a camp in Las Vegas this summer.
He explained how Baughman lost only one match to a California wrestler, and that Quackenbush was the only Bulldog to go undefeated.
“He’s got promise,” Baughman said of the sophomore Quackenbush. “He’s got his goals pretty high. He wants to be a top-three guy at state.”
Baughman acknowledged the team’s small roster, and believes the demands of the sport may be responsible for the low turnout.
“Wrestling is just a hard sport, and that’s why a lot of the kids are thinking twice,” he said. “It’s a grueling season.”
But the four Bulldog wrestlers have been putting in the work, preparing for their season-opening tournament in Moab starting on Dec. 4.
“We don’t just wrestle for fun,” Baughman continued. “It’s pretty intense. We want to win it all or we don’t want to do it.”