Your future, our focus
NWC 's Next Competition Slated for January
By DAVID DICKEY
Powell Tribune Sports Editor
When the Northwest College wrestling team traveled to Coeur D'Alene for matches against North Idaho College and Southwest Oregon Dec. 7-8, NWC head coach Jim Zeigler labeled it as a pair of tests.
According to Zeigler, the two matches served as the Trappers' final exam for the first half of the wrestling season, which will resume Jan. 5 at the Lonestar Duals in Arlington, Texas. Though the Trappers fell to North Idaho 21-18, Zeigler sang the praises of his young squad because of the determination and improved technique it showed. And it only got better the following day when NWC notched a convincing 40-9 win over Southwest Oregon.
"It was big deal," Zeigler said of the team's performances. "We wanted our guys to reach a peak at the end of the first semester, and they did that. We pushed the guys pretty hard, and they responded well. When you have a lot of young guys like we do, you want to see them reach a point where they look like college wrestlers. That's why you spend that extra time with them early in the season. During that trip, you could tell those old high school habits were gone, and you could clearly tell they had made that transition.
"It feels good when that happens. It's almost like they transform overnight, and each year we look for that. When it finally happens, it's very pleasing to see."
For the Trappers, the first half of the season ended with the squad winning two of its last three matches, including one over Western Wyoming Community College in Powell Dec. 5. That win helped the Trappers avenge a November loss to theMustangs.
"During that last week before the break in competition, the guys did really well," Zeigler said. "That's exactly what we hoped to see when we started pushing them in practice."
Those two wins in three matches came after a disappointing road trip through Montana that produced a pair of Trapper losses to the University of Great Falls and Montana State University-Northern. During those losses, several Trappers were held out of competition because they were in the process of dropping weight classes. That transition is now complete, and Zeigler is expecting even better things from his squad when they resume the schedule in early January.
Among those who have shown significant gains in the last three matches are Mason Peebles, Travis Lamborn and Josh Clark. All three went 3-0 during that time frame.
"Those guys really showed a lot of improvement, and that should help their confidence when we begin competing again in January," Zeigler said.
During that three-match span, the Trappers also got strong performances from several wrestlers who have been consistent all season, including sophomore Jeremy Ensley at 125 and freshman Anthony Varnell, who recently completed the move from 149 to 141.
Add in the return of 197- pounder and sophomore Nathan Barzee, who sustained a dislocated elbow prior to the season, and it's understandable why Zeigler is eager to see how the rest of the season plays out for NWC.
"Barzee struggled during his first match back, but he did a lot better the following day," Zeigler said. "It's big to have him back because he's one of those guys that provides a lot of leadership."
Following the Lonestar Duals, the Trappers will get another solid test when they make the annual trip to Iowa for the NWCA National Duals Jan. 12-13.