One final tourney to test IR wrestling for dual competition
On Saturday, Jan. 14, Indian River High School’s varsity wrestling team wrapped up their tournament competition with a first-place overall team finish against upstate opponents, at the Mt. Pleasant Invitational. The six-team tournament saw wrestlers from IR, Mt. Pleasant, Howard, Wilmington Christian, Brandywine and Tatnall. Of the 12 wrestlers the Indians brought, nine advanced to the title match in their respective weight classes, with five finishing in first place.
“It was a good tournament for us to have at this point in the schedule,” said Indian River head wrestling coach Jeff Windish. “It helped bring some confidence to the younger guys who are getting out there. With a small number of schools participating, our expectations were to get as many guys to the final match, and when nine of your 12 do that, and five of them finish on top, that’s really good for the program.”
Among the top-placing finishers were Rashaun Odom (120 pounds), Garrett O’Neal (126 pounds), Jalen Griffin (145 pounds), Max Wilkinson (152 pounds) and Jake Troublefield (182 pounds).
Four others finished second in their divisions, including Phillip Bradford (132 pounds), Justin Lopez (138 pounds), Devontae Mitchell (160 pounds) and Matt Selba (170 pounds). Strong showings from Michael Zook (113 pounds) and Edward Lyubchenko (195 pounds) earned them third-place finishes in their classes, as well.
“Everybody got some really good matches in,” said Windish. “O’Neal really had an outstanding performance at the tournament. He’s one of our first-year wrestlers and, as a sophomore, he’s showing improvement each week. He’s a kid that’s going to come at you. He battles through each match and finds a way to win.
“Jake Troublefield is another. He’s a sophomore who has really showed progress, week in and week out. He’s wrestling tough athletes, including matchups against state qualifiers. He’s going up against some of the best kids in the state and is still doing well against them.
“And you have guys like Jalen Griffin, who is a true scrapper,” Windish added. “He faced a tough Brandywine opponent on Saturday, but still found a way to close it in the final period. These guys push on through anything.”
Saturday’s contest capped off the Indians’ tournament competition for the season, before they head into the bulk of their team dual season. Before the turn of the new year, the Indians played host at the Battle at the Beach and traveled to Newark High to compete in the YellowJacket Invitational and to A.I. duPont for the Tiger Classic.
“These tournaments really help us get ready as we head into the home stretch of our schedule,” Windish noted. “We’ve got a tough two weeks ahead of us, and these tournaments help get our guys ready for whatever comes their way.”
So far, the Indians sit at 1-1 in their conference duals, having slipped to Delmar by a two-point margin earlier this month, 34-36, before upending Laurel 68-9. This weekend, Indian River will host Lake Forest in a division matchup on Friday, Jan. 20, then hold a tri-meet with Seaford and St. Georges Tech on Saturday, Jan. 21.
“I think our guys are finally starting to see their hard work pay off,” Windish said, “We can’t afford to let down right now. That’s one of the biggest things we preach as coaches. The next match has always got to be better than the last one, and our guys are working hard to keep that momentum rolling. We’ve got to take each match one at a time. Lake is going to bring a solid program to our gym, but I think, for the most part, our wrestlers are feeling their groove now.”
Over the years, Windish has had veterans in the sport take leadership roles as captains, but this season, he’s finding promise in the younger wrestlers, too.
“You always like to have younger guys make it into the lineup each year,” he said. “Some of our sophomores and first-year athletes are really turning some heads when they get in. Guys like Lopez, Griffin, Troublefield and O’Neal are showing that they’re out here to wrestle. We’ve got a good core of seniors, but these young kids can get out there and gain valuable experience, too. \
“Just look at someone like [freshman] Colt Kollock at 106 pounds,” Windish continued. “He’s had a few forfeits fall his way, but he’s also fought through some tough matches and battled back to earn himself a winning record. This year’s roster is definitely a younger team than I’m used to having, but it has its ups. I think we could be a competitive program, with depth like this, for a good number of years.”
