The Dove Creek High School wrestling program is entering the 2016-17 season with a new head coach for the first time in over two decades.
After leading the Bulldogs for 23 seasons, Shane Baughman has stepped down from his coaching position, citing his workload as athletic director and head football coach.
“It’s been a lot of years,” he said. “And taking over as athletic director, I’ve been spending a lot of time doing that, and being the head football coach as well and trying to do wrestling, I was just spread so thin.”
While the change is significant, Baughman feels good turning things over to two former Dove Creek wrestlers in Eric Stiasny, the new head man, and Colten Huskey, his assistant.
Stiasny was a two-time state placer at DCHS, Huskey was a four-time state placer and two-time state champ, and both were a part of the Bulldogs’ 2007 state championship team.
“It’s kind of cool to turn the reins over and give that program to those guys that came up through and have been such a valued part of our wrestling program and tradition here in Dove Creek,” Baughman said.
After three years as an assistant under Baughman, Stiasy now steps in as the head coach. And while his team consists of just two wrestlers, in Derek Kibel and Cade Curtis, he’s excited about their potential.
“They’re extremely hard workers,” he said. “And it’s nice in some ways having only two in the room because we get to work on a lot of individual stuff. So, we’re really just approaching it by coaching to their style and trying to get them in the best shape possible.”
Stiasny said that he expects Curtis, a freshman, to wrestle at 113 pounds, and for Kibel, a junior, to start at 145 before dropping to 138 after the Christmas break. And when asked what his goals for each of his grapplers were, Stiasny didn’t hold back.
“Place at state,” he remarked.
He noted that a handful former Class 2A schools moving up to Class 3A should help open things up for Curtis and Kibel.
And the pair will also gain valuable experience competing at large tournaments against top-level opponents, such as the Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah and Doc Wright Invitational in Winslow, Arizona.
“We’ve got some tough tournaments and the kids will see tougher competition at Vernal and Winslow than what we’ll see any other time through the year,” Stiasny explained.
“So, they’ll know what to expect coming into regionals and they shouldn’t be surprised by any gaps in talent or anything like that. They’re going to take their licks early on, but hopefully it’ll pay off later in the season.”
The Bulldogs open the 2016-17 season this weekend at the Moab Invitational in Moab, Utah.