Triad wrestling coach Russ Witzig expects a lot from his seniors, and the class of 2012 is doing its best to make him proud.
The Knights' five seniors are Kyle Graumenz (138 or 145 pounds), Austin Crehan (145 or 152), Chris Kenney (152 or 160), Jake Tindle (170 or 182) and Dan Calvin (heavyweight). Graumenz and Tindle are returning state qualifiers, but Graumenz is the only four-year starter.
"The other kids worked their way through the lineup on the underclass level as freshmen and sophomores, but they've all done a real good job of improving," said Triad coach Russ Witzig. "Graumenz was pretty good right off the bat - he had a lot of experience and he was at a light weight where he could compete."
Graumenz placed second at state at 119 as a sophomore but lost in the first round at 135 last season.
"Before the season I hurt my shoulder and it bothered me all year," Graumenz said. "I couldn't do half the moves I wanted to do, so it was pretty frustrating. But that's just going to push me even more this year."
Graumenz started wrestling at age 7 for the Triad kids club.
"I felt pretty comfortable making the transition to high school," said Graumenz, who wrestled at 103 as a freshman. "I moved up 10 or 15 pounds a year until this year. I'm usually the weakest in my weight class, but this year I think I'm going to be pretty average."
Tindle was behind some tough wrestlers his freshman and sophomore years and didn't become a full-time starter until last year, but he reached the Class 2A state tournament and placed fourth at 171.
"He's probably one of the top or three kids in his weight class right now," Witzig said.
Tindle's junior season may have surprised other people, but he didn't surprise himself.
"I kind of expected to go to state last year because I've been improving exponentially each year," Tindle said. "My work on top made a difference - I was even able to turn guys who were ranked in the state. I also worked on my scrambling and my all-around takedowns.
"I'm actually wrestling a pound lighter than last year, but I feel much stronger. I've established a pretty solid base for everything I want to do, but I just want to eliminate mistakes in each area. My goal is to be a state champion."
Crehan struggled as a freshman.
"He wasn't the strongest guy in the world, but he's done a lot of weightlifting," Witzig said. "I think this is going to be a breakthrough year for him."
Crehan wasn't pleased with his sophomore season either, and that's that when he decided to spend more time in the gym.
"I worked really hard that summer lifting weights and wrestling and it paid off," said Crehan, who shares captain duties with Kenney. "I did the same thing this summer and I've got high expectations for this year.
"I'm more aggressive and I'm doing a better job on my attacks. That's something I wasn't very good at last year.
"It's pretty exciting being a captain. This team has a lot of potential and we should be pretty good this year. Having the underclassman look up to you is a big responsibility. When I was a freshman, we had really good seniors as leaders and I want to be able to provide that to the freshmen this year."
Witzig feels Kenney has improved on and off the mat.
"In terms of behavior and attitude, he's advanced a lot since his freshman year," Witzig said. "Now he's one of the most mature kids on the team."
Kenney, who was a sectional qualifier last year at 152, believes that being part of the wrestling team helped him to mature.
"I dedicated my time to it and bought into the program," Kenney said. "I listened to the coaches and that helped me succeed. I felt like I could have done better at the sectional, but I let my nerves get to me a little bit.
"Hopefully I can make it to state this year. I'm a lot better on my feet and I wrestled a lot of freestyle during the offseason just trying to stay physical and keep the pace going. You come into the season with a lot of confidence."
Calvin, like Tindle, became a full-time starter as a junior.
"He's gotten a lot bigger and stronger and we're hoping he can win 75 percent of his matches," Witzig said. "His ultimate goal is to get to the state tournament."
At 238 pounds, Calvin isn't nearly as big as some of his opponents.
"I've really worked on my speed and I seem to be better this year at attacking the legs," Calvin said. "I've tried to gain some weight by lifting. I still need to improve my technique."
WRESTLING NOTES: Triad opened the season Nov. 22 with a pair of victories, 60-21 over Althoff and 66-15 over Mount Olive. The Knights return to action Friday and Saturday in the Ron Saur Tournament at Fox High School in Arnold. Mo.
