Semoball

SD WRESTLING PREVIEW: Blake Angle takes over ‘young and hungry bunch’

New Sikeston head coach Blake Angle instructs a wrestler during a practice, on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, at the Sikeston Field House. The Bulldogs will open the season on Dec. 3 in Dexter when they take on Dexter, DeSoto and Notre Dame.
Alex Wallner/Standard Democrat

SIKESTON — Blake Angle enters his first season as the Sikeston wrestling head coach this season, and after one week of looking over his group, he said that he likes what he sees out of a young and hungry bunch.

“I’m pretty excited,” Angle said. “We got a good group of kids. They put in the work during the offseason; they want to be here; they’re hard-working. A lot of people talk about culture. We have kids really buying in during the offseason. I think it’s us developing them. Getting those kids in that mental game and being prepared for what lies ahead. Being able to handle those emotions and being comfortable and uncomfortable.”

Only one state qualifier returns to the team this season in sophomore Kate Grubbs.

Despite the youth coming in and not a lot of returners, Angle said that he likes how committed this group is when learning the techniques of the sport.

“Usually, you see a drop off in that first week,” Angle said. “Kids aren’t ready to make that commitment yet, but I’m pretty proud of these new kids. They’re coming in, they’re staying with it, and they’re working hard. That says a lot about them because one thing that I tell them is that you got football players, baseball players that come out and they’ve been doing it their whole lives. So, they expect to be good at something, and it’s really difficult to learn and take on a new challenge.”

So far, 34 wrestlers are on the team, with the roster still not finalized.

Two more females wrestlers also joined the roster, adding to the three that return, in Cherei Jones, Lila Eckert, and Grubbs.

With the team expanding from what it was when Angle was a member of the program makes him happy to see where it has come.

“I like looking at this program, and I was around a young program back in 2007-2008,” Angle said. “I think there was maybe 10 kids on the team. Since then, it’s progressed. We’re consistently getting more kids out, consistently having numerous qualifiers every year, and I think it’s that time now for us to really turn that corner and start developing that mindset. That culture exists because we consistently have those numbers. I think we have a group here that can do it. We have a good group of underclassmen coming in that are hard workers. They want to be good. They want to have success, and you can’t really complain when you have that.”

Additionally, Angle said that he always looks for athletes that can help the program compete, but by building a culture of sustained success, the program can recruit off of that.

“We try to recruit kids in the halls, but a lot of it is the program recruits for itself,” Angle said. “They see these guys having success, and then these girls talk to other girls and try to get them involved. That’s really how it works. A lot of people have a negative perception about wrestling. It used to be people were always trying to cut weight, and now that’s not such a big thing anymore. We kind of preached to our kids about getting bigger and stronger, and let’s just be at our fittest form. So, I think that’s one big thing that we’re developing.”

The season kicks off on Dec. 3, when the Bulldogs compete in a quad match against Notre Dame, Dexter, and DeSoto at Dexter High School.

However, before that, the team is hosting a social event on Tuesday that benefits the program. The event will be at Elite Skate from 7-9 p.m., and Angle said that it is a way for his program to get involved with the community.

“Something we want to do is get out in the community and get our guys more involved,” Angle said. “For the people who support them, we just want to show our appreciation and get our kids an opportunity to intermingle and hang out with each other and build that chemistry.”

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: