Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
If there was something good that came from last year’s regional semi-final loss to Greenville, it’s that the Bay City Western wrestling team was left wanting more.
“Our goal now is, of course, to make states this year and do something once we get there,” said Steve Goss, who is in his sixth year coaching the Warrior wrestlers. “We’ve dominated everybody this year, but the one team that we lost to [John Glenn], and that was by one point. We just beat Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 22, 52-21, and they’re a pretty solid team.”
Aside from the one-point loss, the 2013-14 season has gone simlilarly to the way that last year went. A season ago, the Warriors rolled to a 20-3 record, were Saginaw Valley League North Division Champions, and won their Division 2 district title. Chris Schoenherr (130 pounds) took second place in the state finals, and Tom Schoenherr (125) and Jake Alarie (215) both took eighth.
The Warriors, who are ranked sixth in Division 2, recently took third in the power-laden New Lothrop tournament, won both the Grandville and Freeland invitationals, and have already wrapped up the SVL-North title this year with a perfect 10-0 league mark in duals.
“That was the first [goal]; we feel good about that being secured,” Goss said of winning the league. “We want to keep focused on securing all our matches and having control as much as possible and not get pinned at all hopefully. [Hopefully] we win districts and continue on from there and individually, we’re working on getting as many guys through districts and to regionals. We host regionals this year, so hopefully we can launch as many as we can from here to states.”
From the 119 weight class up to 215, the Warriors don’t lose many matches. Wrestlers in those classes are Coby Moore (119), Blake Jackson (125), Mike Rojas (130), Jacob Wibirt (135), Tom Schoenherr (140), Chris Schoenherr (145), Zak Davis (145), Cole Rechsteiner (152/160), Cody Okes (189), and Alarie (215). Noah Schoenherr (112) is an up-and-coming member of the team as well, according to the coach.
“We have a tough row [of wrestlers],” Goss said. “We have three Schoenherr boys in our lineup, and they’re all outstanding. Moore is doing really well for us, too; he’s just a very skilled wrestler. Jackson is a sophomore, but he’s ranked ninth or tenth in the state right now. Okes is a junior, and he is wrestling really well right now.”
Rojas and Alarie are two of the team’s top seniors, and the coach noted just what they mean to the team.
“Alarie is a returning state medalist, and he has really worked hard as well,” Goss said. “He’s a very physical wrestler, very aggressive and smart, also. Rojas, a good portion of his matches have been pins. He goes out, takes care of business. He doesn’t get too nervous, he’s just been running through opponents going 21-1. He’s very businesslike and tough all-around. He really gets into his wrestling.”
Chris Schoenherr narrowly missed out on a state title last year, and his quest for a championship took a heavy hit during football season when he broke his leg. He’s come back to pick up a pair of wins, and the coach is hoping to see the junior continue to mend quickly.
“It’s been good to have him back,” Goss said. “He’s really performing well; he’s just so mentally into the sport. In his first match back, he pinned his opponent in 30 seconds. In his second match, against Mt. Pleasant, I thought it was going to take him longer, but he pinned him in 35 seconds.”
Coach Goss feels that Schoenherr’s quick recovery should lead him to another strong postseason run.
“Last year he had a phenomenal run to the state finals,” Goss said. “I’m hoping he’ll be at full strength by then. We’re watching out for that leg, but he hasn’t had any problems. We’re picking and choosing our sports with him for awhile, and we’re really hoping he’s ready for individual and team districts. Not only is he a great wrestler, but he is a good leader, and that of course helps the team.”
Though the squad may have high expectations and a lofty state ranking, the coach is still stressing basic strategies for success.
“We just need to give 100 percent effort and focus and do the best we can,” Goss said. “We need to finish matches strong. The last 30 seconds are really important. They have been good representatives of Western wrestling and the community, and we just need to keep chugging away. We have a bunch of good guys on the team. They’re a good group, they’re all-state academic, and they’re just good representatives of the area.”
This and That
In other county wrestling, Bay City Central senior Davon Jackson recently reached 150 career wins. In early January, Jackson also set the Central wrestling record for career pins, with 100. A year ago, he took the Division 1 individual state finals by storm. He lost his opening round match in the 152-pound weight class to Jordan Atienza of Livonia Franklin in a 16-8 major decision. From there, he won five straight matches to finish in third place. This year, he has earned MVP honors at nearly every tournament he’s attended and is seen by many as a main contender for a state championship.