Team realizes commitment will be needed to advance further in state finals
By Bruce Rolfe
When looking at the big picture, there’s no denying the Climax-Scotts-Martin co-op wrestling team enjoyed another strong and satisfying season.
The team won conference, district, and regionial championship trophies and landed in the State Finals event at Wings Stadium for a second straight season.
The 26-6 overall record was impressive too.
However now that the bar has been elevated, a 39-26 loss to St. Louis in the Division 4 quarterfinals February 23 left coaches and players reflecting on portions of the regular season when a few more wins could have brought the team a higher seed and possibly a better chance to advance further.
“Everybody worked hard. We only got to wrestle our true line up in three duals and we went 2-1 with that line up. We had opportunities to beat some teams to get some better seeds, but we didn’t take advantage of that. The guys that are juniors now and are going to be seniors next year. It’s looking like the best team we’re going to ever have in this co-op. We’ve got a great opportunity to come back here (State Finals) next year and battle with Hudson in the finals. But we’ve got to have some dedication. A lot of our guys, they play baseball in the summer, and they play football. I understand that. You’ve got to make some time for wrestling in the summer too,” points out C-S coach Mike Reitz.
Last year’s C-S-M co-op wrestling team advanced to the semifinals where the team lost to eventual state champions, Division 4 powerhouse Hudson.
The quarterfinal loss last Friday left many on the team motivated to not only get back to the State Finals event, but advance to the semifinals or even the finals.
“It’s definitely giving us a lot of motivation because we had an opportunity to make it all the way to the finals as the seventh seed against Hudson. We didn’t come out and use that opportunity. So it’s given us a lot of motivation to work hard in the off season, prove everybody wrong, prove that we belong back here again,” said junior Jackson Bagwell.
“Now, to be done in the first round. That’s probably not everybody’s goal, but nobody likes losing in the quarterfinals. But if you want to compete, and you want to move on to the semis and into the finals, it takes some off-season work, a little more dedication. That’s what we’re going to have to focus on,” adds Reitz.
Despite falling short in the quarterfinals and missing out on an opportunity to wrestle in the semifinals for a second straight season and a chance to advance to the finals, Reitz said overall, the season was very satisfying. After spending many years helping in the wrestling program and as an assistant coach, Reitz enjoyed his first year as the head coach, which he also said was something he enjoyed.
“It’s been very satisfying. A lot of coaches have been involved way longer than myself, that haven’t had the opportunity to bring their team here. It’s not just me doing it myself. I have a great group of guys that volunteer and come in one or two days a week, that have a different aspect on things. And it definitely brings the whole team together. It’s not just a one-trick pony. We have multiple people that come in, multiple guys working with the kids, just trying to get better to be back here. The guys got a taste of Wings Stadium last year, and when we came in the room the first day, we set goals, and this (getting back to the State Finals event at Wings Stadium) was everybody’s goal,” said the C-S coach.
When looking at the big picture, there’s no denying the Climax-Scotts-Martin co-op wrestling team enjoyed another strong and satisfying season.
The team won conference, district, and regionial championship trophies and landed in the State Finals event at Wings Stadium for a second straight season.
The 26-6 overall record was impressive too.
However now that the bar has been elevated, a 39-26 loss to St. Louis in the Division 4 quarterfinals February 23 left coaches and players reflecting on portions of the regular season when a few more wins could have brought the team a higher seed and possibly a better chance to advance further.
“Everybody worked hard. We only got to wrestle our true line up in three duals and we went 2-1 with that line up. We had opportunities to beat some teams to get some better seeds, but we didn’t take advantage of that. The guys that are juniors now and are going to be seniors next year. It’s looking like the best team we’re going to ever have in this co-op. We’ve got a great opportunity to come back here (State Finals) next year and battle with Hudson in the finals. But we’ve got to have some dedication. A lot of our guys, they play baseball in the summer, and they play football. I understand that. You’ve got to make some time for wrestling in the summer too,” points out C-S coach Mike Reitz.
Last year’s C-S-M co-op wrestling team advanced to the semifinals where the team lost to eventual state champions, Division 4 powerhouse Hudson.
The quarterfinal loss last Friday left many on the team motivated to not only get back to the State Finals event, but advance to the semifinals or even the finals.
“It’s definitely giving us a lot of motivation because we had an opportunity to make it all the way to the finals as the seventh seed against Hudson. We didn’t come out and use that opportunity. So it’s given us a lot of motivation to work hard in the off season, prove everybody wrong, prove that we belong back here again,” said junior Jackson Bagwell.
“Now, to be done in the first round. That’s probably not everybody’s goal, but nobody likes losing in the quarterfinals. But if you want to compete, and you want to move on to the semis and into the finals, it takes some off-season work, a little more dedication. That’s what we’re going to have to focus on,” adds Reitz.
Despite falling short in the quarterfinals and missing out on an opportunity to wrestle in the semifinals for a second straight season and a chance to advance to the finals, Reitz said overall, the season was very satisfying. After spending many years helping in the wrestling program and as an assistant coach, Reitz enjoyed his first year as the head coach, which he also said was something he enjoyed.
“It’s been very satisfying. A lot of coaches have been involved way longer than myself, that haven’t had the opportunity to bring their team here. It’s not just me doing it myself. I have a great group of guys that volunteer and come in one or two days a week, that have a different aspect on things. And it definitely brings the whole team together. It’s not just a one-trick pony. We have multiple people that come in, multiple guys working with the kids, just trying to get better to be back here. The guys got a taste of Wings Stadium last year, and when we came in the room the first day, we set goals, and this (getting back to the State Finals event at Wings Stadium) was everybody’s goal,” said the C-S coach.
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