Hard, hard, hard. That is what Varsity Wrestling Coach Dudley Flodeen wants out of his wrestling crew this year. The team has had its first week of practice with nothing but the basics. Flodeen “goes through a lot of moves,” because he knows that these fundamental techniques need to be almost instinctual in order for a wrestler to be at the top of his game. A lot of his wrestlers haven’t been wrestling for very long so utilizing these moves could spell the difference in a match. The team itself is very young and sparse; there is not much depth in Flodeen’s roster this year. However, a rather large bright spot in the roster is senior Ryan Epps, who’s ranked number one in the state in his weight class.   
Another bright spot in the season is the schedule. Coach Flodeen notes that the team is “in more individual tournaments this year,” which means that the scoring is based on an individual level, allowing for more matches for the better players. This is to the CF team’s favor because they have quality players rather than a large quantity. This does not mean the team will have things easy.

Paige Holt

Flodeen’s team “focuses a lot on the mental part” of wrestling. Coach believes that, “whether you think can or can’t is a big part of it [succeeding],” and he wants his wrestlers to work hard not only on their physical condition, but on their mental state as well.

Having a strong body and mind is a powerful combination and even though it might not make his players “pinners,” wrestlers that pin others in matches (pinning awards the most points), it’ll make his players significantly harder to beat. The team’s first match was an invitational on Nov. 28. They finished sixth out of ten with two individual champions, Ryan Epps and Gavin Gates. The next week they wrestle on Dec. 3 at home against Kenyon.