Without a single senior on last year’s squad, the Dolores Bears are returning an experienced group of wrestlers for the 2016-17 season.
Led by last season’s only state qualifier Brandon Ward, head coach Dane Gallaher hopes to send four wrestlers on to Denver this season.
Ward finished third in the 2016 Class 2A State Championships at 113 pounds, but Gallaher expects the senior to bounce up to the 120-pound weight class this year.
“He’s already at 123,” he explained. “He did the same thing last year: He hit the weight early, he came in and worked out before and got his weight down, and by the start of the season all he has to do is maintain.”
Aiden Hopcia joins Ward as the team’s only other senior, and junior David Schmittel and sophomores Josh Petrow and Cameron Chavez also return for Dolores.
Other key returners for the Bears are juniors Austin Hackney and Logan Fuller, and sophomore Skieler Grooms.
Hackney qualified for state a freshman and then was one spot away from qualifying last year, finishing fifth at the regional tournament. Fuller placed sixth in last season’s regional even after suffering an injury and forfeiting his final two matches, so Gallaher has both grapplers focused on advancing to state this year.
And after competing in a loaded 132-pound class last season, Gallaher also expects Grooms to make some noise in his second high school season.
“I’m looking for good things from him,” he said. “I went ahead and took him to state last year as Brandon’s wrestling partner so he got to experience the state tournament. The first time you go it’s a little bit eye-opening, so it was good for him to go, because I really feel like he’s going to be a qualifier.”
Toss in five freshman and a couple wrestlers that haven’t competed in a few years and Dolores has around 15 out for the team this season. And led by Gallaher, assistant coach Roger Andresen and volunteer assistant Josh Galloway – a former state placer for Dolores – the Bears’ goal is to send four wrestlers to the state tournament.
“We were kind of down last year, we only had the one state qualifier, but he was third place, but that’s my goal for the year,” he said. “The kids just did their goals for the year, and my goal for the year was to qualify four for state.”
Dolores begins the 2016-17 season on Friday, Dec. 2 at the Flagstaff Tournament.