The lineup has been in a constant state of flux and a lack of varsity experience has posed a problem in some weight classes, but coach Tom Blaha hopes the best is yet to come for the Collinsville wrestling team.
The Kahoks finished the regular season 13-8 in dual meets. In tournaments, Collinsville finished second at Chatham Glenwood, fourth at Mascoutah, ninth at Lincoln and ninth at Quincy.
"Lincoln and Quincy are both big tournaments with 24 or 25 teams, so we did pretty well," Blaha said. "We were kind of nicked up throughout the year with injuries and everything else and we had a couple kids out for some of those tournaments."
Junior Devontae Smith (31-6 at 106 pounds) and sophomore Dylan Johnson (29-10 at 160) have been the top wrestlers for Collinsville.
"Devontae had 27 wins last year and he's been even better this year," Blaha said. "Dylan had only nine or 10 wins last year, so he's really improved.
"We have only one senior on the team and you'd like to have six or seven, but it bodes well for the future."
Junior heavyweight Drew Pikey has had the biggest turnaround, going 21-13 with 17 pins after winning only three matches at 215 last season.
"He just grew and matured a little," Blaha said. "Sometimes in wrestling, it's all about when it clicks in a kid's head. They get a little confidence and they start wrestling more aggressively. If he has that big of an improvement for his senior year, he's really going to benefit."
Junior Henry Weinrich has 17 wins at 152 while sophomore Brandon Fisher has 16 wins at 170.
"Stefan Cook (who is 13-11 at 182) is a senior, but he's been out for two years because of injuries," Blaha said. "It's been a very strange year as far as kids not coming out or quitting or getting in trouble. But that's why we have freshman and junior varsity programs. - it gives the next guy a chance.
"We have only four kids - Smith, Johnson, Weinrich and Colton Miller (120) - who haven't missed a match all year. If all these kids come back next year, we're only going to have to replace one guy."
Of the Kahoks' eight losses, six came in the Southwestern Conference.
"All the other conference schools get to have sixth-graders wrestling at the junior high, so they're getting a whole extra year of experience before they get to high school," Blaha said. "We need to change that, so hopefully we can work with the school district to get sixth-graders into the mix."
On Saturday, Collinsville is in the Class 3A Edwardsville Regional along with six SWC rivals (Alton, Belleville East, Belleville West, Granite City, O'Fallon and the host Tigers) plus Quincy.
"Quincy is the only team in our regional that we've beaten," Blaha said. "Our only conference win was East St. Louis and they'll be wrestling in Class 2A (at Centralia).
"We're going to have our hands full because every weight class has some good kids. I tell my kids every year that their record is 0-0 when they go into the regional. It's up to them whether they want to wrestle well enough to get to the next level. They have the fundamentals and the tools to get it done."
