by TV Head Wrestling Coach, Jon Hardman
The Tri-Valley wrestling team began competition earlier this month just outside of Cleveland, in Independence, Ohio. The North Coast Classic is a large, 32 team tournament, where wrestlers compete 10 times in two days. We use this as an early season measuring stick, to see how we stack up against some very good competition. This season, the team welcomes a lot of new faces, eager to kick off the season by making some noise at the NCC.
Preview by weight class:
106 – Karson Cronin (sophomore) – Returns to the sport after a year off. Cronin possesses a great deal of quickness and athleticism for the smallest weight class. He will enter competition in January, but should achieve quite a bit of success once he’s ready.
113 (115) – Kandice Spry (freshman) – Kandice enters high school as a two-time state finalist in junior high (she was a state champion in 2022). Preseason rankings have the freshman as the #11 ranked 115lb in the state. She will use this as motivation, as she attempts to continue her success at the high school level. Kandice will wrestle mostly girls’ competition, since girls wrestling has been sanctioned as an OHSAA sport this season. She will fill in at the 113 spot for duals when needed.
120 and 126 – Andrew Tackett (junior) – Tackett returns to the lineup at the same weight class where he won 23 matches in 2022. His season ended due to an injury last year, but Tackett looks to pick up where he left off. Freshman, Haidin Shoop will also compete at 120 for the Scotties. Shoop started the season off right, winning our first JV tournament of the year at Northmor High School. Shoop will rely on his experience to help cover these two weight classes.
132 and 138 – Slade Armstrong (sophomore) – Armstrong returns to the lineup after placing 6th at the district tournament last year (top 4 make the state tournament). While Slade fell just short of his goals a year ago, he will look to build off the 34 win campaign. Landen Schuhart (sophomore) looks to take one of these spots after a strong freshman campaign. Landen improved over the course of last year and gained quite a bit of muscle in the offseason. Freshman, Boston Smith, also came away from Northmor with a gold medal in our opening weekend. The 8th grade MVL champion will compete for time at these weights and will challenge the sophomores for a spot weekly.
144-150 – Hayden Stevens (freshman) – Hayden will man the 150 or 144 lb weight class for the Dawgs this season. He’s an extremely hard worker that will improve fast. Coaches are pleased with the effort that he puts into practice each day. Hayden went 3-1 on the opening weekend, placing 3rd at Northmor.
157 – Jason Patterson (Senior) – Patterson is a returning state qualifier and an Otterbein commit. He is a leader in the room and is setting his sites higher this year, hoping to capture a state title. He’s put in a lot of work in the offseason and should definitely be one to watch come March.
165 – Sebastian Delgado (senior) – Delgado had a good deal of success last season, his first year in the sport. He’s learned at a fast pace and has developed into a good wrestler. He’s a smart kid that can pick up things quickly in the room. We are excited to see what he does with a full season on Varsity. Also competing at the 165lb weight class will be newcomer, Koda Bice (sophomore) and Junior, Dylan Pierce. Bice is new to the sport and is focused on improving each day. Pierce has had varsity experience and will look to push for a varsity spot at 165 or 175. He has shown a great deal of improvement over the past two seasons and appears ready for the jump.
175 – Jackson Henry (Junior) – Henry finished strong last season, placing 3rd at the MVL tournament. He has paid his dues in the middle weight the past two seasons and is excited for his chance to get a full season of varsity competition. Coaches are excited to see how the Junior performs this weekend. Also in the 175lb weight class is freshman, Logan Durst. Durst won 4 matches opening weekend, in route to a 3rd place finish. He persevered through some back and forth matches, showing a level of determination that was impressive.
190 – Logan McClellan (freshman) – McClellan, a 2022 junior high state qualifier, comes into high school after a strong junior high career. He is a strong kid for a freshman. That strength will help him in a heavier weight class. McClellan has put in a lot of offseason work to improve and is determined to have a successful freshman campaign.
215-285 – Nathan Welsh (junior) – returns to the sport after 2 years off. Opening weekend, Welsh showed that he is ready to go, winning the 215lb weight class at Northmor. Coaches were impressed with Welsh’s coachability and heart during the outing, as he gutted out some tough wins. Also at 215 this season are newcomers Marques West (freshman) and Berto Marin-Duran (freshman). Both are fist year wrestlers and both are smart kids that are picking up the sport quickly. Junior, Gavin Pranoto is also in this range. Gavin is a 2nd year wrestler that has a knack for picking up the concepts easily. Gavin is a very cerebral athlete and this has led to some early success in the sport. Pranoto will look to challenge for 215 each week.
This year, there will be some growing pains due to the young roster. The younger wrestlers have alleviated some of this concern, due to their relentless pursuit of improvement and unwillingness to quit during a match. It will be exciting to see how much they can improve this season. We are excited for the season to start and the Dawgs have put in the work.
