The Kern Valley’s boys wrestling team is preparing to get their season underway. With a huge contingent of athletes, this years’ team is one of the largest in recent times.
With 22 wrestlers on the team, the Broncs have the ability to compete from within. In this way the team becomes stronger and the competition creates those wrestlers to be at their best on every occasion. This is a good situation for Wes Woody as the head coach of the Broncs squad. He has had the reins for the past 16 years as the head coach, and a total of 17 years as a wrestling coach. He has a familiar assistant as Frank Woody will help out.
With 22 wrestlers on the Broncs team, it is a young team as they only return four wrestlers from last years’ squad. Blake Baughman, Charles Schmeisser, Andrew Miller, and Troy Valenzuela come back to lead the inexperienced team of Broncs wrestlers. These young gentlemen will play a huge part in getting the younger athletes up to speed in the game of high school wrestling.
W. Woody has a goal in mind, and knows how he plans to implement this goal into reality. With a large squad, the inexperience level is at an all-time high. The coach’s goal this season is to allow the younger kids to gain experience using the trial by error method. Woody sharing the goal said, “To gain experience for the younger kids and have a full lineup which we haven’t had in many years.” He plans to get there making the kids work hard and prove themselves ready to compete. With the help of the returners leading by example, the team is already gaining improvement at the start. Woody said, “Hard work from the kids and dedication to the sports along with the returners guiding the younger inexperienced kids.” This will be how he attains the goal for his squad.
The non-league portion of the schedule will feature limited duals, but plenty of tournaments for the team to build their confidence on the mat. This will be a quick hands-on experience to create the team that will battle throughout the year. Woody on the non-league said, “We have many tournaments to get better and a non-league dual to get mat time for the kids to build their skill and confidence as we go throughout the year.”
This leads the Broncs into league competition. While the HDL is small at this point, three teams only, the wanting to be the best team in league is the plan for the Broncs. Bishop and Desert, along with Kern Valley are the three teams competing in league. Woody speaking about the HDL said, “Kern Valley and Bishop, although Desert will have a team again for the first time in many years.”
Woody sees the strength of his squad in the way all the core players want to succeed and within that push the other athletes looking for the improvement each time they compete. Woody said, “it’s a good core group that wants to get better and push each other.” Turning the page, the areas that Woody sees to work on are getting his team on the mats to gain experience. In the game of wrestling, experience goes a long way in building the competitive spirit. Woody said, “They need experience with many new faces, but they are willing to put in the work.”
To wrap up the preview, Woody said in his closing thoughts, “This will be one of the biggest teams we have had in many years and we look forward to the chance to get out there and compete. We will have competition at many of the weights for the top spot which creates growth in the team.”
When the Broncs get ready to compete, with a full line up, that will prove to make an impact on their opponents. This crop of Kern Valley athletes will have to ‘wrestle’ with learning on the go and gaining improvement every time they take face off with an opponent.
Large squad of Broncs wrestlers ready to take it to the mat
