Your future, our focus
Seven Ranked to Begin 2010-2011
BY RANDAL HOROBIK
Tribune Sports Editor
Coming off the best season since bringing a national championship home to Powell, the Northwest College wrestling team brings a young and promising lineup to the mats for 2010-2011. Headlined by returning All-Americans Jesse Hillhouse and Nick Petersen, the Trappers carry enough respect to hold a No. 8 national preseason ranking.
“We have a young team and we’ll be fairly inexperienced,” said Trapper coach Jim Zeigler. “Even our All-Americans are young — barely 19 years old. Our average team age is somewhere around 18 and a half.
Don’t make the mistake of confusing youth and inexperience with a lack of talent and desire, however.
“I love the attitude of this group of kids,” said Zeigler. “They make up for their youth through their discipline and work ethic. If they continue to do those things, by the end of the year, I hope to be competitive, but that’s a high hill to climb with a young crew.”
Anchoring that climb then will be Hillhouse (133) and Petersen (184). Both returning All-American wrestlers will be bumping up one weight class from the divisions where they saw success a year ago.
“I’m encouraged by the idea of both of them going up a weight class,” said Zeigler. “They’ve really started to fill out their frames and become men. They were pretty skinny as freshmen last year, but with the time they’ve spent in the weight room, that’s not the case any more.”
Hillhouse was the sixth-place finisher nationally a year ago. Petersen placed seventh.
Also back from last year’s team is Bobby Robbins, who is expected to hold down the 149-pound slot after starting for much of last season. His freshman season was enough to earn him a preseason No. 7 ranking.
Zach Oppenheimer, a 165-pounder for the Trappers a year ago, will drop down to 157 this year.
“It’s a better fit for him as a wrestler,” Zeigler said. “He was pretty small last year at 165. This is his more ideal wrestling weight.”
Jake Budd could swing between 133 and 141 pounds this season. Budd, a Lander native, saw considerable action early last season for the NWC at 133.
Bernie Dupuy returns as a redshirt freshman after spending last year shelved with a knee injury. Dupuy is the frontrunner to move in at 165 pounds for NWC.
The tallest task for a returning Trapper falls to redshirt sophomore Sears Tiernan. The heavyweight will be called upon to fill the shoes of departed national champion Landon Harris. One look is all it takes to see just how seriously the Delray Beach, Fla., product is taking that task.
“He was walking around at close to 290 pounds last March, now he’s down to 230,” said Zeigler. “He’s ridden that exercise bike. He spent the summer training, eating better and putting in the work. He’s showing the desire of a champion. He’ll tell you, this is his Visionquest. Spending two years training with a national champion is only going to help.”
The nation’s coaches agree. Tiernan is the preseason No. 6 heavyweight in the NJCAA rankings.
Several new faces are expected to make waves this season as well. Three members of the Trappers’ freshman class hold preseason rankings. Headlining the group could be Broken Arrow, Okla., native Keithen Cast, No. 9 preseason at 174 pounds.
“I’m very excited by Keithen,” said Zeigler. “He was a huge acquisition for us. He’s a superb student both on the mat and in the classroom. He was the state runner-up as a senior in Oklahoma. He lost in overtime to his rival, a kid ranked No. 4 in the nation as a high school senior, and that kid is now wrestling at the University of Oklahoma. Keithen split with him last year.”
At the 125 division, Kamron Day was named No. 12 in the preseason rankings after scoring a state title as a senior at Filmore, Utah. Day will have his hands full just within the NWC practice room, however as Gillette’s Marc Madsen is expected to push for time at 125 as well.
The last of the Trappers’ heralded freshman class is Boise, Idaho, native Josh Bundschuh, the preseason No. 9 at 141. Bundschuh’s college career may get off to a bit of a slow start as Zeigler notes the freshman has been the victim of an early injury. Jeremy Luna could get the early start at 141 as a result.
Another Utah native, Clint Jacobs, is expected to battle for mat time at both 149 and 157 for the Trappers.
Meanwhile, the 197 spot could go to either Boise freshman Ben Price or Shoshoni native Brooks Bouthorpe. Price was the state runner-up last season while Bouthorpe transfers to NWC from Concordia College in Nebraska. Bouthorpe will be a freshman with regard to eligibility.
Northwest opens its season on Nov. 6 with the NWC Open tournament. On Nov. 10, the Trappers will make one of just two pre-holiday home dual appearances against Montana State University, Northern.