A younger Ballston Spa wrestling team proved that it still packs a pretty good bite.
The Scotties won three of their five matches to place second at the annual Ballston Spa Duals last Saturday.
Head coach Harvey Staulters said the fact that his team placed second against a field that included traditional powers Colonie, Northern Adirondack and Copenhagen speaks well of his young team.
I was happy with it, said Staulters. `Out of 15 weight classes, 10 are filled by ninth and 10th graders. So, we’re a young team this year.`
Most of the newcomers are in the lightweight and middleweight divisions. Ken Hersch, Richard Pregent and Tyler Wachtel are among the younger wrestlers Staulters said will be key contributors.
`We have to learn and grow with every match,` said Staulters. `We’ll take our lumps, but that’s OK.`
The Scotties do have a pair of heavyweights who should be consistent performers for them this year ` Chris Ohnsman and Van Huyben.
`They’ll hopefully be our stoppers most of the year,` said Staulters.
Ballston Spa faces some challenges as it heads into the meat of the Suburban Council season. A league-wide realignment places the Scotties into the North Division with four tough teams ` Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Niskayuna, Saratoga Springs and defending Section II, Class A champion Shenendehowa.
`When you look at Shen and when you look at Burnt Hills, you’re talking about two of the top teams in the section, not just in the Suburban Council,` said Staulters.
Ballston Spa will get a close look at Shen Thursday when the two teams meet in a Suburban Council match.“