2017-2018 Big East Preview

Started by CLC FAN, October 13, 2017, 04:09:55 PM

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CLC FAN

It's that time!!

Preview for the upcoming season

Cedar Grove
Returns 6 starters out of 10.  3 of their starters were sectional qualifiers, with 1 of those qualifying for state.
Standouts returning  Bryce Morgan battled through injury last year but had a great run to qualify for state.  Hoopman and Prinsen had very solid seasons.
Key Losses: Brockman, Krier, and Davies were super-dependable starters for the Rockets for the past several years.
Incoming/Overlooked: Anzia and Wade will be solid wrestlers for Cedar Grove.  The youth and middle school program is always healthy, so don't be surprised if some freshmen bust out.
Overall Thoughts:  A lot will depend on how weights shake out for CG.  If they can put Morgan, Prinsen, Anzia, and Wade all in the lineup at fairly natural weights, that will be a good base for them.  If those guys are log-jammed at the same weight, it could spell trouble.  As with any small school in WI, 5 more bodies in the room could make all the difference as far as team success.

Elkhart Lake/Howards Grove
Returns 7 starters out of 7.  3 of their starters were sectional qualifiers, with 2 of those qualifying for state.
Standouts returning:  Ward made it to state again last year, as did HWT Roll.  Troy Rebedew had 30 wins and will be a formidable senior this year.
Key Losses:  None
Incoming/Overlooked:  The Big East is due for another Ward sometime soon here... not sure if he is a freshmen this year or still in middle school.  Like CG, Elkhart has a very respectable youth and middle school program which should provide athletes who can fill in some of the gaps.
Odds/Ends: Elkhart struggled in the Big East last year, but it was a quantity issue, not a quality one.  They can be a dangerous team in a dual if either A) they scratch up a few more wrestlers to get 12 or 13 in a dual lineup or B) your team has 3 or more forfeits of its own.  

Manitowoc Lutheran
Had 3 starters last year, 2 are eligible to return, but I'm not sure if they were from Lutheran or Roncalli (the co-op has been dissolved).  Neither gentlemen made it out of regionals last year.
Standouts Returning:
Incoming/Overlooked: Unknown
Odds/Ends:  Manitowoc Lutheran actually outscored Ozaukee at the Big East tournament last year!

Mishicot
Brings back 6 starters out of 10, none of whom made it out of regionals last year.
Standouts returning: Becker and Young both qualified for state two years ago, but fell victim to wicked regional brackets this past year.
Key Losses: Elliott
Incoming/Overlooked:   Their 3 young upperweights; Lambrecht, Koepelle, and Kraynik will be a year older and stronger - for upperweights that can sometimes make all the difference.
Outlook:  This seems a very even year for the conference, so it might be Mishicot's year to crack into the top tier of teams.  Becker and Young should bounce back to have solid years, and if they can keep 10+ starters in duals like they did last year, they will compete.

Oostburg
Had 10 starters at Regionals last year.  7 return, and like Mishicot, none of the returners made it to sectionals.
Standouts returning: Josiah is a very tough wrestler - his low finish at regionals last year seems like an anomaly.
Key Losses: Frier and Vanderwheele were constants for Oo over the last few years.
Incoming/Overlooked:   Last year I mentioned Lombardi and Josiah as wrestlers to watch.  I would say the same this year.  Both are seniors and as was mentioned above, the low finish at regionals feels like a product of tough bracket/didn't have the best day.  This is certainly the year to carve out a name for yourself if you are a senior.
Overall Outlook:  Low numbers are starting to look like a trend for Oostburg.  Hopefully they can reverse that with some youth or some kids coming back to the sport.  They have a very rich history of excellence at Oostburg, and it would be great to see them move back in that direction.  

Ozaukee
Returns 4 out of 4 starters last year.
Standouts returning:
Key Losses:  
Incoming/Overlooked: Cael Large is a freshmen for Ozaukee this year and should make a dent as a lightweight.    
Odds/Ends: Like a lot of teams in the conference, the numbers game is where it starts and ends for the Warriors in terms of team success this year.   The good news is that almost all teams are in the same struggle, so the mark to clear may be only 8 or 9 wrestlers.  In some years you are looking at dualing 3-4 full teams and 1-2 teams with only one forfeit... this year it looks like having half a lineup might give you a chance in a few duals.

Random Lake
Had 14 starters last year.  6 return this year, 5 of whom made it to sectionals.  Of those 5, 2 were state qualifiers in 2017.
Standouts returning:  Rautmann and G Vandenbush both earned medals at state last year.
Key Losses:  Yikes... how does one paraphrase losing 9 state medals and 997 wins among 8 seniors.  "Ouch?"
Incoming/Overlooked: Hammen had a very respectable season for a freshmen, and Arendt had some very impressive stretches last year, including ending the season just 1 match from the state tournament.  Also, multiple-time youth state medalist Aiden Vandenbush joins the squad as a freshmen this year.
Overall Outlook:  Well, it's time to test the depth of the Rams once again.  8 seniors leaving certainly opens up varsity spots for guys who might have been waiting in the wings.  It is a positive sign that the Rams took 19th out of 106 teams represented at the JV State Challenge Series tournament last year.

Reedsville
Returns 5 out of 14 starters, 3 of those qualified for sectionals, and 2 of those were also state qualifiers.
Standouts returning: Ingalls and Schuh were the state qualifiers last year.  Stelzer finished one match away from state and had 38 wins last year.
Key Losses: From 152 up last year, Reedsville started a senior who AVERAGED 35 wins!!  All those stalwarts will be missed.
Incoming/Overlooked:  N Griffey and L Kasper both had very solid years as lightweights last year.  They were bookended by Ingalls and Schuh in the lineup.  Reedsville has some very impressive youth/middle school wrestlers.  I'm not sure when any of those arrive in high school, but they could make a big splash immediately.
Thoughts:  It seems like Reedsville will be solid enough to stave off a large slide.  Even if they struggle a bit with filling out a lineup, so will the rest of the Big East, and they certainly have a quality stretch of wrestlers coming back, the question is who will wrestle in the upperweights for them?


Overall Thoughts:  So the lazy thought for a fan to have is "Man, looks like a down year for the conference."  While it would be hard to match the fireworks of last year's star-laden Random Lake and Reedsville teams, this year should be more even across the board as far as the team race goes.  It would not be a shock to see teams rise or fall 4 spots in this year's final standings.  Also, only 5 individual conference champions return, leaving it wide open for individuals from any team to make their mark.

Gutwrench

Thanks as always John!

Just by reading the Preview here, knee jerk reaction is that the team conference race could be very much up in the air this year.  Should be very interesting to watch how it all unfolds.

Good luck CLC, er, Big East wrestlers and coaches!