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NWC Suffers Back-To-Back Dual Losses
Northwest College wrestling coach Jim Zeigler hates this road trip.
Judging by how the Trappers performed during their annual trip to Montana on Friday and Saturday, it makes sense why.
Starting with a dual against Montana State University- Northern, and finishing up with another meet with the University of Great Falls, Zeigler’s grapplers were overwhelmed, leaving the longtime coach questioning the competitiveness of his younger athletes.
Following competition at the University of Wyoming’s Cowboy Open on Nov. 8, Zeigler opted to give some of his regular wrestlers a break over the weekend to nurse bumps and bruises, and granted several first-year wrestlers an opportunity to “step up,” as he put it.
What followed gave Zeigler the impression that some of his athletes aren’t ready for collegiate wrestling.
“This was just a dismal trip,” Zeigler said Monday while sharing his thoughts on a 39-6 loss to MSU-Northern. “I gave some kids some rest, and I thought that giving some of the younger guys an opportunity would encourage them to step up and show what they could do.
“But unfortunately, they wrestled scared ... I thought the early-season jitters would be gone by now but the kids wrestled scared.”
With five starters resting, NWC’s lone victory against the Lights came in the form of a forfeit at 149 pounds. Other than that, the Trappers were pinned twice and forced to forfeit two matches of their own, another glaring disadvantage for NWC’s depth issues this season.
“We have what we have ... and right now, I think maybe we have some kids that are never really going to be competitive at the collegiate level,” Zeigler added. “They’ll benefit your program in other ways, but they aren’t kids that are going to go out there and be counted on to win matches for you. Those are harsh words, but that’s the reality of the situation.”
Results and team scores for the Trappers’ dual against UGF were unavailable by Powell Tribune press time, but Zeigler was able to report that his team’s lone victory against the Argos came via a Robert Gomez win at 125 pounds. Needless to say, the coach was more than eager to return to Powell.
“I was really glad to be home,” Zeigler said. “It was cold, the snow, we had bus problems and the kids just didn’t show up. I was really happy to get back home.”