Change, Change, Change

By Russell Pate
houston_wrestling@hotmail.com

Houston Wrestling is definitely singing this song heading into the 2005-06 season. Gone is the biggest and most successful senior class the area has ever seen. Adios to State Champions James Aston (to Ohio State), Matt Cole (to Oklahoma), and Jimmy Benavides, along with a number of other state finalists and place winners. Many top teams from a year ago face the question whether they will reload or rebuild. And now a look at ten burning questions that loom large heading into the season.

10. How will the various coaching changes affect the area-wrestling scene?

Houston got a shakeup as coaching changes happened in amazing number this past off-season. Two of the biggest occurred at Private schools Strake Jesuit and Kinkaid. Former Strake Jesuit Coach John Banas had turned Strake into one of the state’s top teams. They, along with double state champs Highland Park, were one of only two teams to finish in the top five at both State and State Duals. However, in a surprising move, Banas left Strake to become the new head coach at Cy Fair High School. Longtime Kinkaid Coach Steve Leisz has been a coaching fixture in the area, and has produced some of the city’s top wrestlers. Kinkaid had a pair of Prep All-Americans last year, and a 3rd place finish at Prep State. Coach Leisz will be missed in the wrestling community as he takes over the head football position at Houston Episcopal. Additional coaching changes include former Mayde Creek coach Mike Demarchi to new Seven Lakes High School, Florencio Gonzalez from out of state to the new Woodlands College Park, and former Strake assistant Barrett O’Connell to Mayde Creek.

9. Who will be the top upper weights after the departure of James Aston, Matt Cole, Tom Fortner, Bill Sommers, Mike Nijoka, and Alex Slack?
Houston was extremely tough last year in the upper weights, but graduation has opened the door for some new faces. Returning state qualifier Joey Depew of Katy Taylor looks like the toughest of the group ready to step in. Depew should battle for a state medal at 171 or 180, and is a threat to beat anyone not named Fred Rowsey. He puts his heart on display in every match and will be fun to watch. James Bookout of Kinkaid was a Prep All-American last year and may be the best 189 in the state, UIL included. Thomas Mancha of St. Thomas was a freestyle state champ at 189 this past summer, and then made the trips to Enid and Fargo. He should be a prep state champ and All-American this year. Returning state qualifiers Kyle Jones (180, Klein Collins) and Austin Spires (171, Woodlands) are also ones to watch.

8. Which wrestlers who did not qualify for state last year have the best chance to place or even compete for a state title this year?
The top two contenders in this category are senior veterans (and victims) of last year’s 125-pound weight class. The state’s toughest weight class was also Region III’s toughest, with the relative depth being even greater at Regionals. Colin McElroy of the Woodlands was a state qualifier in 2004, but finished 5th at Regionals last year, missing out on a state birth. He returns for his senior season with expectations of a far different ending this time around. He wrestled all summer with coach Joaquin Bautista and narrowly missed Greco All-American status at 130 pounds. This year he should be among the state’s best at 130. Patrick Blakely of Westside shares with McElroy the fortune of having wrestled in the 125-pound weight class last year, and also has in common a great off-season of wrestling that makes him one of the favorites this year. I would be very surprised if both of these kids don’t end up on the podium this year, and perhaps on top. Two other wrestlers who missed out on the trip to Austin last year and should compete this year for All-State honors are juniors Mike Murray of Cy Fair (140-145) and Will McNair of Cinco Ranch (171-180). Murray’s brother was Cy Fair’s first Wrestler in 2003, and a state qualifier in his only year of UIL competition. Mike has carried on the family tradition and looks ready to make the jump to stardom after last year’s state alternate finish. McNair is the biggest darkhorse of the group. He was buried behind a stable of top Cinco wrestlers last year until he made a big bump to 180 to crack the lineup in January. He beat some top competition late in the season and was clearly one of the region’s four best, but he ran into a pair of senior regional finalist/ state placers at district. Look for lots of noise this year from this relative unknown.

7. Which wrestlers will most benefit from work put in this summer?
Some of the wrestlers mentioned already are the answer here as well. Colin McElroy (TWHS), Thomas Mancha (STT), Austin Spires (TWHS), Will McNair (CR) and Blakely (WS) will all benefit greatly. One other wrestler so far unmentioned is Jonathon Powell from Kinkaid (145-152). Powell was a regular at every freestyle tournament this past spring, and area wrestlers need to be grateful that they won’t have to see this guy at the UIL state tournament.

6. What young area team is ready to go from startup to competitor?

Cy Fair High School has always had talent from the area’s youth feeder program, but the addition of their own on campus coach this year will make them a legitimate contender. They may take some time to fill out the dual lineup, but they have some individual wrestlers (Mike Murray, mentioned above) who will make immediate noise. Klein Collins has had a slower and steadier climb through the ranks. Coach Kenny Rucker has done an outstanding job starting from scratch, and has a team that appears ready to breakout in 2005. They have solid depth to compete in duals, and are led by returning state qualifier Kyle Jones at 180. They have a tough district, but expect them to compete for years to come.

5. What area team has the best chance to make the jump from solid to elite?

Bryan High School is the answer here, and it is actually a rather unfair answer. The truth is that they have consistently been at or near the top level for a long time now. However, their location lets them somehow slip through the cracks whenever the top teams are discussed. However, they will not likely go unnoticed this year, as they boast one of the state’s toughest dual lineups. Last year they lost only a single dual, a narrow early season loss to Strake Jesuit. If they had attended State Duals, they would certainly have had enough success that they would not be under any radar statewide. While this year’s team does not have a true state champion contender to replace the graduated Jonathon Taylor, they do have solid wrestlers at every weight. Toughness and physical wrestling are definitely the hallmark of Bryan wrestling, and the State will surely receive a few bloody noses this year to prove it.

4. Can Jamie Sheets find the success as a middleweight that he had as a lightweight?
The short answer is yes. This past year has seen Sheets become as well known in Katy area weight rooms, as he already was on wrestling mats statewide. Last year’s late move to 125 changed the outcome of his season, but even in one of the toughest weights the state has seen, Jamie competed well, narrowly losing in the 2nd round of the state tournament to the eventual state runner-up. He truly was that close. His aggressive, swarming style caused him some understandable trouble against some tough, bigger opponents. With a little more time to adjust and settle into the weight class, the size may not have been the factor it was. However, there is no way to tell, and not much point even if there was. Last year is over. He is no longer a defending state champion. He is now just like every other wrestler in the state. Preparing for a desperate fight to reach the top of the podium. And, though I am no more than an interested observer of Jamie, I would calmly wager that he returns to the top.

3. Will Shane Doughman repeat as state champion?
Since most people doubted he could win last year, assume some will start 2005-2006 doubting all over again. However, this is definitely a situation where I don’t want to be confused for most people. Simply put, Shane was a state champion last year not because of superior talent (which he has), but because he wanted it more than everyone else. Despite early season losses that would discourage most, it was Shane that stood atop that podium in Austin after an outstanding tournament. Over the course of the season he passed up the rest of the state, and personally beat every top contender in the weight class. And from what I’ve seen, when a guy wants it more, he passes people up, he doesn’t get passed up. People in Dallas who really “know” wrestling will convince themselves all over again this year that Shane is not the favorite, that somehow everyone just had a bad day against him last year. I predict that he will enter the state tournament as a returning state champ in the weight class, who most still consider an underdog. And then after he stands atop the podium as a senior, any remaining doubters will have a lifetime left for excuses.

2. Which area district will be the best?
The Klein District could always be best described as tough. While in the past there may have been other districts in the state with better wrestling, no other district could match their toughness. Teams like Bryan and Klein have led the way with teams that look like they stepped out of bodybuilding magazines. Teams big in both number and Size of individual. Klein Forest always brought the same thing, even if they brought fewer wrestlers. There is no such thing as easy pins when these teams wrestle. However, the toughness was pushed over the top to elite wrestling when Klein Oak began developing some of the state’s top individual wrestlers last year. Take all that along with the emergence of Klein Collins (as previously mentioned), and you have the Houston area’s toughest district in 2005-06. Look for Bryan, Klein Oak, and Klein make a top 3 dual teams that could easily compete with the state’s most recognized districts. Weekly district duals should be a ton of fun for spectators.

1. Who will be the area’s top team?
Travis Ribordy’s Klein Oak squad returns most of the team that finished 3rd at State last year, and they’ve added depth in the middleweights. Bill Dushane has one of the state’s top programs year in and year out at Cinco Ranch. Bryan, coached by Mike Zito, can compete with anybody in the state in a dual. Coach Baker’s Westside teams are now a perennial power, and they are senior heavy and could put it all together this season. Katy looks close to returning to the top under 2nd year coach Vinnie Lowe.
There are certainly no lack of contenders. However, if pushed to pick the team likely to be on top come February, I would go with the Woodlands, coached by Joaquin Bautista.

The Woodlands simply has depth that few teams in the state can match. Their JV would easily finish in the top 15 of a Houston Area VARSITY tournament, and this year’s varsity squad is likely to possess at least one state qualifier that could not crack the lineup last year. Colin McElroy (130) will lead the team this year, but the talent surrounding him means he won’t carry the burden alone. Austin Spires is a returning state qualifier 1t 171, and his long build makes him a perfect student for Bautista, a Greco guy by trade.

Eric Spjut, a product of the Spring Klein wrestling club, is a talented freshman who could challenge for a state birth at 112. The lineup is as solid from top to bottom as any in the state. However, one early disclaimer; they started slow under Bautista last year, and may do so again, as he takes a while to sort out his lineup. I give them the nod as the top team, but it’s more of a prediction for February.

Of course by then, things will probably be upside down. There are no paper champions in this sport.

Author’s Note: My aim with this column is to produce 100% positive media coverage for kids who don’t otherwise receive it. I have no desire to be “hard hitting”. I also cannot be everywhere at once. If you think I am wrong, tell me by responding to the column. I won’t take it personal. I’m not the authority on wrestling, I’m just a guy who knows how good Houston wrestling is, and wants everyone else to see it too.

Russell Pate
houston_wrestling@hotmail.com

Power Rankings

1. The Woodlands, deepest team in the area, maybe the state?
2. Klein Oak, bring back most of last year’s team, strong in light and middle weights,
3. Bryan, maybe the best dual team in area, probably the toughest upper weights,
4. Westside, Very strong middle weights,
5. Cinco Ranch, lost a lot but still near the top, could take some time to come around,
6. Katy, should push Cinco for a district crown,
7. Klein, solid all the way through the lineup, very tough dual lineup,
8. Kinkaid, 2 studs, coaching change may hurt
9. Cy Fair, this year’s darkhorse, new coach could push them over the top,
10. Strake Jesuit, a bit of a wild card, graduated a lot,
11. Mayde Creek, good lighter weights,
12. Taylor, should be a tough dual team, may take some time but they will be a January top 10,
13. Klein Collins, definitely on the rise, could be much better than this,
14. St. Thomas, some tough individuals
15. Friendswood, also on the rise, they have done things the right way and it will pay off eventually,