Michael Pineda
Brighter days lie ahead for a Duncan wrestling team that was forced to deal with more than its fair share of adversity this past season.
Injuries and illness played a big role in the Demons season as they finished the year with only two state qualifiers. The good news for the team is that it will only lose a couple of regulars in the lineup and will be in good shape to climb back into its role as one of the top teams in the state next season.
“In a nutshell, it was pretty challenging,” Duncan coach Kevin Kelly said. “I knew we were going to be young and we were rebuilding a little bit. Having to battle with guys getting sick in and out of the lineup, it was pretty challenging.”
Injuries also took their toll, starting in football season when Jordan Broom was lost for the season with a knee injury. The Demons also lost 2009 state qualifier Kendall Carnahan to a lingering medical problem at the end of the season.
Even with those problems, Duncan qualified for the Dual State Tournament for the fourth year in a row.
“I think we made strides as a team,” Kelly said. “Other than Dual State, we wrestled pretty good in the last four duals. We looked pretty good as a team.”
That success did not carry over into the regional tournament as only Justin Hughes and Christian Carnahan qualified for state with Hughes placing third.
“It was pretty disappointing,” Kelly said. “I took it pretty hard. You put so much into it and the kids do to. You see some of the kids like Payton Atchley and you have five kids come up short of qualifying. It was pretty hard.”
Atchley and Hughes will be the backbone of the team next season as Duncan will once again be pretty young. Experience gained by freshmen that were run up to the varsity this season is expected to pay off as well as the arrival of more talented wrestlers from the junior high ranks.
“We are losing a couple of seniors and we will only lose a couple next year,” Kelly said. “We will be pretty young again. Justin and Payton will be seniors and they will be our leaders coming in.
“I’m pretty excited about the next few years. We have a good junior high wrestling team and the freshmen that we had this year gained some good experience.”
In an effort to get more mat time, the Demons will take part in some freestyle events during the spring, adding another eight weeks of training.
“We haven’t done it in a while and after spring break, we will practice two times a week,” Kelly said. “It is like another wrestling season.
“Freestyle helps you on your feet and that is where we need to get a lot better. That is where most of your matches are won with your good kids. I think it will help us quite a bit. It will keep the kids in it and we are going to have some college kids come down and work on new techniques with us.”
— Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com.
