Fox wrestling head coach Amond Prater hopes the third time will be the charm for a pair of two-time state qualifiers.
As freshmen in 2016, Dylan Looney and Joey Johnson both went 0-2 and were quickly eliminated at the state Class 4 tournament in Columbia. Last season, Looney came within a match of placing at state, dropping an 8-4 decision in the third round of wrestlebacks, while Johnson as well as senior Shane Wiegand went 0-2.
“Increasing the number of state qualifiers from your team is always a good thing, and we went from two to three, wrestling in one of the toughest districts in the state,” Prater said. The Warriors, it is worth noting, failed to qualify anybody in the 2014-2015 season, the year before Prater took over the program. So the progress is unmistakable.
There were signs of team improvement last season as well.
“We wrestled tough,” Prater said. “The fact that we were able to place higher at tournaments – we had a fourth place finish at MICDS, we placed top 10 at the All-Suburban Championships, which was one of our goals. We didn’t really accomplish our dual meet goal, but we had a really tough schedule and we accomplished a lot of good things.”
As for the team leaders, Prater said he’s optimistic of more good things in store for Looney and Johnson.
After starting his prep career as an “undersized 106 pounder,” Looney grew into the weight class last year, which Prater said enabled him to be more of a physical wrestler. And like most young grapplers at the lower weights, the maturation process is moving him up the weight scale. Looney will open the season at 126 pounds, and Prater said with the addition of a new coach to help at the lower weights, Looney has the opportunity to rise to another level.
“Dylan has been in the program for a few years now; he wrestled for the Jaguars little league program, so he has his goals already set and he wants to be a state placer,” Prater said. “But Dylan just does things the right way on and off the mat. He’s a great student, (with) at least a 4.3 GPA right now, and the kid just works hard. He knows what he has to do to be better.”
Johnson, meanwhile, inhabits the high end of the scale and enters his third season at 285 pounds. Prater said he’s seen “a huge upswing” in Johnson’s growth and potential.
“When he came in, Joey had the toughness and he would compete, but he just didn’t have the knowledge, and there was a limited scope on what he was able to do,” Prater said. “He got what he could out of the experience, and now he feels better balance-wise, positioning-wise, and he’s just more confident in what he can do.
“His potential to get even better is limitless, and I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes.”
Junior Kyle Kamp enjoyed some success in little league wrestling, but Prater said Kamp’s confidence took a hit last year as he was often physically outmatched in the 132-pound slot. Kamp will open this season at 126, with a possible late-season move to 120, and Prater said Kamp has “renewed his fire” with an eye toward the state tournament.
“Kyle is one of the most talented wrestlers that we have in the room,” Prater said. “He had a rough go at it last year, but we’re trying to get his mojo back, and he wants to impose his will this year.”
Senior Matt Florek will begin the season at 138, perhaps dropping to 132 later. Florek was one round short of qualifying for the state tournament last year, losing 1-0 in the district tournament to a wrestler who went on to place at state, and Prater said Florek is hungry to take that next step.
“Matt started wrestling his freshman year, so he’s had a learning curve to get through, and it’s been nice to see him get to where he’s at,” Prater said.
Senior Mason Latimer also missed going to state by a single match last year, and Prater said the 195-pounder is determined to earn a trip to Columbia.
“He’s already stated that he wants to be a state placer, he wants to get his name on the wall,” Prater said. “But he’s a senior and he knows what it takes.”
Like Florek, senior Adam Springer got his first wrestling experience as a freshman, and Prater said Springer has improved a lot since then and become a real leader on the team. He will compete at 145 to start the season.
Junior Luke Joggerst took his lumps during his first two prep seasons, but Prater said Joggerst, an all-conference offensive lineman in football, will bring some physical toughness to the 220-pound spot.
“One great thing about our program is that we have a great relationship with the football team,” Prater said. “A lot of (our) athletes play football, which is great for both sports, and Luke is one of those guys.”
Fox will open the season Nov. 28 in a quad meet at Jackson that includes Carbondale and McCracken County (Ky.). The Warriors will host the 16-team Ron Sauer Tournament on Dec. 1-2.