NTL WRESTLING: TROY HAS HIGH HOPES FOR THIS SEASON (2022-12-02)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
It’s a new chapter for Troy wrestling. They have a new coaching staff, and a few new faces on the roster as they work to get Troy back in the mix amongst the league’s best.

“Our goals are to carry on the tradition at Troy, and keep moving forward with the program,” said coach Mike Reese.

He returns a team with one sectional champion in Mason Woodward, and two others who were runners-up: Kenyon Slater and Jacob Hinman.

“Mason Woodward at heavyweight is looking really good,” Reese said. “Kenyon Slater has also looked good. We have a few others that are looking good, and our whole team we have athletes from top to bottom.”

Woodward continued his upward progression, and hopes to do even better this year as he works on his skills.

“Definitely scoring on offense,” he said was a focus. “And having good defense, and being able to get off bottom.”

He hopes to be able to score more points from neutral this season.

“Being able to score from my feet is definitely going to be huge,” said Woodward.

He’ll be making the jump from 189 to 215, but he’s not worried about the change in weight.

“I’ve wrestled up most of my career here in high school,” said Woodward. “I feel decently comfortable.”

He came up short at districts a year ago, taking seventh, one spot from making regionals, and wants to change that in 2023.

“It’s definitely a huge jump up (from sectionals),” Woodward remarked. “I need to be more mentally prepared for the competition at districts, and ready to wrestle.”

Slater’s season ended in the seventh place match at districts, too, though he finished in eighth place.

“My goals are to make it farther in the postseason, and with matches I’ve wrestled before I would like to do better,” Slater said.

He plans on wrestling at 132 pounds, up from 120 last year. That’s always a tough weight come the postseason.

“I’m definitely going to try and stay above the competition,” Slater said. “I’m going to put in that little extra effort it takes to be at the top, and just kind of push myself harder.”

He, too, will be working hard in neutral.

“There’s definitely a lot of points to be scored there,” said Slater. “I feel like I’m pretty solid on top, and I can definitely get out of bottom.”

At the lower weights will be senior Caleb Schwenk.

“I’m really excited going into my senior year,” Schwenk said. “I think the team’s looking pretty good, and I think it’s going to be a really good year.”

He came up short at sectionals in a tough weight class, but hopes to make a run to districts, and even further, if possible.

“I’ve been like a lower weight my whole life, so it’s nothing really different,” Schwenk said. 

He’s hoping to improve on bottom this year.

“I have trouble getting out on bottom,” he said. “I can always work on that.”

Team wise the Trojans came up just short of district duals a year ago, and they hope to get back to .500 this season.

They hope to fill out a line-up, but it won’t be easy.

“I think we might have to do some moving around,” said Schwenk. “I don’t know much people are going to be cutting down to different weight classes, but if we’re bumping around we should be alright.”

So far they’ve enjoyed having a new voice in the mat room.

“It definitely opens up a  lot of opportunities,” Slater said. “It’ll allow kids to learn new moves they haven’t really had spent anytime on before.”

Despite being new to Troy, Reese knows a difficult road lies ahead of them.

“Pennsylvania is the toughest state in the country for wrestling, by far,” said Reese. “They have to realize that.”

ROSTER (Grade)

Carter Austin (10)

Peyton Bellows (12)

Treyton Bradley (12)

Rylan Breidt (10)

Jacob Hinman (11)

Peyton Jayne (12)

Konner Kerr (11)

Cameron Kneller (9)

Wilder Koch (9)

Kael Millard (9)

Owen Monroe (10)

Ben Randall (12)

Eli Randall (12)

Caleb Schwenk (12)

Kenyon Slater (11)

William Steele (11)

Mason Woodward (12)

SCHEDULE

Dec. 6 - at Williamson, 7 p.m.

Dec. 9 - DKI Tournament

Dec. 10 - DKI Tournament

Dec. 14 - vs Athens, 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 - at NPL, 7 p.m.

Dec. 20 - vs Towanda, 7 p.m.

Dec. 28 - Tunkhannock Tournament

Dec. 29 - Tunkhannock Tournament

Jan. 5 - at NEB, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11 - vs Wyalusing, 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 - vs Sayre, 7 p.m.

Jan. 13 - Winter Mayhem Tournament

Jan. 14 - Winter Mayhem Tournament

Jan. 17 - vs Wellsboro, 7 p.m.

Jan. 19 - vs Canton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 - Line Mountain Tournament

Feb. 1 - at Jersey Shore, 7 p.m.