Your future, our focus
Trappers Prepared To Qualify Quality Group At West Districts
The atmosphere in the Northwest College wrestling room was strictly business.
This isn’t unusual for the perennially ranked Trappers, but it was a sign that the regular season was over, and now each successive match means a little more than the last.
“Their senses are just heightened. Urgency is in the air,” NWC head coach Jim Zeigler said.
The No. 14 Northwest College wrestling team leaves Powell Thursday afternoon to compete at the NJCAA West District Championships at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington, on Saturday.
The district tournament carries extra weight because for some wrestlers it will be their final competition of the season. Those who advance will wrestle at the NJCAA National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Feb. 26-27.
Zeigler said he does not downplay the magnitude of this weekend’s competition. Instead, he tries to acclimate his wrestlers to the intensity of the moment in order to prepare them for a bigger stage.
“I just want a heightened sense of awareness on their part,” Zeigler said. “It makes you keen, it makes you sharp, and that’s what I want.
“I don’t want that panic button going off. I want them to stay cool and calm. Be prepared to accept whatever results come about, and be prepared to give your very best effort.”
The very best effort from the Trappers could net them as many as six national qualifiers, according to Zeigler.
Sophomores Eduardo Penha and John-David Henderson are the favorites to advance beyond Des Moines.
Penha is the fourth ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, though he beat Iowa Western’s Clay Stine, who is ranked third, at the Apodaca Duals.
Henderson is unranked as of the latest poll (Jan. 5), but boasts wins over the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers at 149 pounds.
“I think those two, the chances of them getting in are great,” Zeigler said. “After them there’s a tier of four guys who I think are really close.”
Sophomore Matt Schmidt (133 pounds) and three freshmen — Cameron Braden (157), Justin Polkowske (165) and Heber Shepherd (184) — have each worked themselves into the national tournament conversation.
Zeigler also mentioned freshman Andrew Von Rein (174) as a potential dark horse candidate.
Regardless of numbers, Zeigler would like to bring a stronger group to nationals than last year. The 2015 Trappers advanced five wrestlers to nationals, but qualifying a larger squad wouldn’t necessarily be an improvement, and taking a four-man team wouldn’t necessarily be a step backwards.
“Matching (last year’s five wrestlers) is fine if the quality is higher. So if our five participants this year, if we’ve got a chance to place four of the five, where last year we had five participants (but) we really only had a chance to place maybe two of the five,” Zeigler said.
Penha is the only current Trapper to advance out of last season’s District Championships. Zeigler is confident in the Trappers’ will to win, but the relative inexperience of the team has the long-time coach pushing mental toughness.
“I try to get in their head each day,” he said. “I think they have the motivation, the thing that I drive really hard for regionals is their focus and their discipline. The discipline to show patience in a match, and not get overly excited.”
Fast-paced practices match the tempo and tensity of the District Championship’s rigid and unforgiving schedule. Wrestlers are given only enough time for a breath and a drink between practice bouts as Zeigler and assistant coach Seth Wright patrol the mats, trying to maximize their final days together in the lead up to Districts.
Northwest will face tough opponents from rivals No. 12 Western Wyoming and No. 8 North Idaho, as well as from No. 6 Clackamas and host Highline, which was receiving votes.
Even with the greater level of competition, Northwest has remained focused on itself, rather than potential opponents.
“I just need to prepare my guys,” Zeigler said. “They’re focused on looking within, instead of looking out at what they’re facing — they’re facing themselves.”