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Northwest Trappers In Minnesota For National Tournament
The fifth-ranked Northwest College wrestling team hits the mats this Friday for the NJCAA national championship tournament in Rochester, Minn. The Trappers suit up a full 10- man roster for the tournament, including eight wrestlers nationally ranked in their individual weight classes, placing them on the short list of possible frontrunners.
“Realistically, I’m hoping we wrestle to the best of our ability,” said Trapper head coach Jim Zeigler of his hopes for the weekend. “If we can do that, I think it puts us in the mix. I’m hoping for a national title just like every other coach and wrestler there.”
Zeigler’s hopes for a second national title at NWC received a sizable boost late last week when the official national tournament brackets were unveiled. Of the Trappers’ 10 wrestlers, two receive automatic byes into the second round. Seven of the remaining eight face off against unranked opponents in round 1.
“I’m very pleased with our draws,” Zeigler said of the way the national tournament bracket set up for each of his wrestlers. “I feel good with where we’re positioned.”
Not only did the tournament draw provide the Trappers the opportunity for nearly their entire lineup to avoid ranked opposition to open the tournament, but four of Northwest’s 10 wrestlers are in a position to go into the third round before theoretically encountering their first nationally ranked opponent. Despite what, on paper, appears to be a favorable set of odds for a number of Trappers, Zeigler is wary.
“There’s always someone who comes out of nowhere at the national meet who has never sniffed the rankings during the regular season just because their coach didn’t say much about them,” said Zeigler. “You just never know until this meet how accurate those national rankings are.”
For the Trappers’ sake, Zeigler is hoping the national rankings are fairly accurate. They currently forecast six Trappers to return to Powell with All-American honors at the conclusion of the tournament.
That group is led by defending national runner-up Keithen Cast at 174 pounds. Bernie Dupuy (165) and Nathaniel Garcia (149) are both ranked third in their weight classes. Kamron Day (125), Justin Gardner (133) and Jaksen Cotterell (157) are all ranked fifth.
Also carrying rankings to Minnesota are Trappers Miles Nixon, now No. 10 after winning the 184-pound division at the West Central zone meet two weeks ago, and Colton Thornton, ranked 11th at 141 pounds.
Thornton and Nixon will both automatically advance to the second round for the Trappers after being drawn with firstround byes. Of the eight who will have to win their way out of round one, only Price finds himself paired on the bracket opposite a ranked opponent — No. 2 Kolton Kersten of Iowa Central.
For everyone, the weekend comes down to the most basic of sports formulas — survive and advance. There are no rounds that can be taken off and pursuit of a national title does not allow for margin of error.
“You never know how kids will respond when they get on that stage,” said Zeigler. “You’d like to think that you know how they’ll do. You hope to look in their eyes and know they’re ready, but you never know until you put them in the fire and see how they respond.”
For his pare, the Trappers’ coach says he’s done as much as he can to get the team to this point.
“Our philosophy has always been that we’ve been preparing since September for this tournament,” Zeigler said. “It’s not about the last two weeks. It’s about the entire season.”
Zeigler said the Trappers’ most demanding period falls between Thanksgiving and the regional tournament two weeks ago. The goal of that stretch is to build his team into its best physical condition and teach the bulk of wrestling skills.
“We might tweak a thing or two here or there, but basically you go with what got you here when you reach nationals,” Zeigler said. “At this point, you just want them to be mentally prepared, well-rested and try to have them as healthy as you can.”
After months of battling on the mat, the health issue can sometimes be tricky this deep in the season, but Zeigler notes that there, too, the Trappers are looking good.
“They’re as healthy as I can hope for at this time of the year,” Zeigler said of his national roster. “There are some dings and bruises, but nothing that’s going to prevent them from competing.”
From a mental standpoint, Northwest may benefit from the fact that five of the 10 members of its roster have attended the national tournament previously.
“They’ve been there and know what it’s all about, and that helps,” Zeigler said.
While they might have familiarity and a favorable bracket draw, the Trappers still have much to accomplish on the mat if they’re hoping to bring home a national title.
“We’re definitely a David to the Goliaths like Iowa Central and Labette,” said Zeigler. “I don’t know if we have the horsepower to catch those teams, but I love having the opportunity to compete and find out. That’s the nice thing about wrestling, you always have the possibility to step on the mat and achieve true greatness.
“This group has been so committed and dedicated in every way. They’ve been great students and citizens in the community. They’re doing all those little things right and that’s got them to where they’re at. They offer their best every day.”
The Trappers flew to Minneapolis on Wednesday. The team registers and works out today (Thursday) in preparation for Friday’s start to the national tournament. The tournament runs through Saturday evening