FORT MILL – While learning on the go may not be the easiest way to learn things, it may be the best way.
For the Catawba Ridge Copperheads wrestling team, that is the way they are having to learn things this year. At 2-10 on the season, Catawba Ridge has more than taken their lumps during the season, but has also shown sparks of promise for a bright future.
“We are taking baby steps,” said head coach Scooter Weathers. “Right now, it is not about winning and losing. We just have to keep fighting hard.”
Weathers said that for a lot of his wrestlers, the whole aspect of the sport is a learning experience. For example, Weathers even quizzes his wrestlers about basic aspects of the sport like rules and how many points one gets for a takedown, an escape and a reversal; thus, learning moves and escapes is just another hurdle to master.
“The guys know stuff, it’s just frustrating,” Weathers said. “We just have to keep trying. It will come. We have to build things brick by brick.”
In their most recent matches, both losses, Catawba Ridge fell hard to Kings Mountain 75-6, but then came right back against a 5A Northwestern Trojans team and just barely lost 36-35. Against Kings Mountain, only RJ Lincoln got a win, which came as a forfeit at 182-pounds with Kings Mountain leading 57-0 at that point.
Against Northwestern, the Copperheads got a technical fall to start the match with Andrew Patten winning 17-1 at 120-pounds. Northwestern would then get three first period pins at 126, 145 and 152-pounds after double forfeits at both 132 and 138-pounds to make the match 18-5. Forrest Rozelle then got a third period pin at 160-pounds for the Copperheads to make it 18-11.
Forfeits really hurt Catawba Ridge most of the match as they had to forfeit at 170, 220 and 106 pounds as well. The Copperheads only have 10 wresters in their starting lineup, as Weathers said some have quit, while others are hurt.
“It will help once we get our middle school program built up,” he said.
Despite trailing 24-11 to the Trojans, Catawba Ridge got pins from Lincoln (182) and Nate Teel (195) to pull within one at 24-23. Catawba Ridge would get two more wins, one by a pin from Arthur Roof at heavyweight, and then at 113-pounds from a forfeit to Connor Stukitz, but at that point, the Trojans had already clinch them match.
Catawba Ridge will now turn their attention to the Holy Angels tournament Dec. 27 and 28, before they are schedule to participate in the Bearcat Invitational Jan. 3-4.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
