LINDEN — Southmont has dominated the last two seasons at the Montgomery county wrestling meet. They’ll look for a third straight county title on Saturday when the Athenians, Chargers, and Mounties all meet at North Montgomery.
While the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact last season on the wrestling meet sidelining multiple wrestlers from the Athenians and Chargers, this season both teams are re-loaded and ready to challenge Southmont for the county crown.
The Mounties come in with an overall season record of 12-1. A balanced lineup has been Southmont’s strength for most of the season with a combination of upper and underclassmen including seniors Zayden Dunn, Noah Benge, and Gerald Hutson, and Collin Martin along with sophomores Marlin Williams, Wyatt Woodall and Maddox Cade.
Longtime Mountie coach Jamie Welliever knows his team will get the best from both the Athenians and Chargers and is looking forward to a competitive meet.
“I think everyone is a lot better off this year, than at this time last year,” Welliever said. “There should be a lot more matches and competitive ones at that. This will be a true look at all of three of our counties programs. We’ve all great programs over the years and expect a great meet. When you’ve won two years in a row, you know you’re going to get everyone’s best and we have to be ready for that mentality.”
North Montgomery will be looking for its first county title since 2018. First year coach Mike Boesch sees this meet as a chance for his team to go up against tough competition and show that they belong.
“In the late 90s when I was competing against JD Minch’s wrestlers here at North Montgomery, I always knew there was going to be tough competition,” Boesch said. “As a new head coach, I definitely want other teams to know they will be facing tough competition. Our wrestlers are excited to compete individually in their respective weight classes as well as a team. We have had some early success this season and plan to keep building on it. Going into the county tournament, our wrestlers know if they wrestle to their potential we can be county champions.”
Senior sisters Catie and Cailin Campbell are two of the Chargers leaders on the team and with the duo leading the No. 1 girls program in the state, their leadership along with others on the team has helped put the Chargers in a good position heading into one of their biggest meets of the year.
“Last year and to an extent this year, there were a lot of unknowns that made the season unpredictable. Well over half of this year’s team did not wrestle last year. Our seniors Catie, Cailin, and Will, have been providing great leadership to help our team prepare for this weekend.”
The Athenians were the team that was hit the hardest a season ago. Barely having enough wrestlers to compete at meets, the Athenians are now back at full strength and second-year coach Dave Cutchin is excited to see how his team fares on Saturday.
“We’re really close to being back at a full lineup,” he said. “I expect our guys to be able to bounce back very strongly and that says a lot about our program, going through what we endured a season ago and now being back at almost full strength.”
With a lineup that features numerous freshman, Cutchin isn’t too focuses on the overall scores of the meet, instead he defines what he believes will be a successful meet for the Athenians.
“Score wise I’m not too sure what to expect,” he said. “But if our guys are able to wrestle up their potential and the ability that they have, then I’ll be pleased. We know we’re going up against some tough teams in North and South so it all comes down to how you rise to the occasion.”
The county meet will get underway at 9 a.m. at North Montgomery in a dual meet style with the Chargers taking on the Mounties in the first match. In round two the Athenians and Chargers will match up followed by the Mounties and Athenians in the third and final round of the day.
