CHARLOTTESVILLE — With the Eastern Hancock football team making a deep postseason run, some of the Royals top wrestlers have joined the team later than others.
With five practices needed to wrestle in meets, the team has been rushing to get those in before Saturday’s season opener, the Hornet Wrestling Invite at Rossville.
“We’re looking pretty good so far. We got a lot of the football players in on Monday and they’ve been working to get their five practices in so they can start wrestling,” head coach Sam Pfaff said. “We might be missing a few on Saturday, but we’re ready to rock and roll.”
One of those football players in the gym and ready to practice on Monday was senior Cameron Volz. The Royals top returning wrestler from last season looks to build off of a record-setting year.
Volz set the school record for wins with a 44-5 season and made it to the 132-pound semi-state quarterfinals before falling to eventual runner-up Perry Meridian’s Keaton Morton. He won titles at the Centerville Sectional and Richmond Regional.
“He’s putting a lot of expectations on himself to have another good year. He wants to be a state qualifier and a state placer, so I’m just trying to keep him focused on getting better every day and working hard,” Pfaff said. “If he does that, hopefully everything will fall into place. He’s a football player and was in on Monday ready to go.”
Along with him, the Royals return three other senior leaders.
Logan Gilman and Zane Badgley are both semi-state qualifiers along with Volz, and Dom Shelby was a regional qualifier.
Gilman was a winner at the sectional in the 120-pound class, and was runner-up at the regional, while Badgley was a sectional runner-up and placed fourth at the regional.
“Those four will be our senior leaders,” Pfaff said.
They’ll help offset the loss of senior Brayden Tincher who was a sectional and regional champion, and a state qualifier last year at 182 pounds.
Pfaff also expects another senior, Jackson Cook to make an immediate impact in his first year participating in the sport. Wrestling at 106 pounds, he expects the senior to find success right away.
“Having a senior at 106 is great,” Pfaff said. “He’s never wrestled before but he’s older, he’s strong, he’s fast, and he’s a good athlete. I think he’ll play a role right away.”
Juniors Griffin Knight, Joseph Hollenbaugh, and Gabe Johnson bring back experience as well. Knight and Hollenbaugh were regional qualifiers a season ago, placing third at the sectional meet. Johnson placed fifth at the sectional.
The Royals also bring in a strong freshman class.
Freshman Bradyn Volz joins the team as a decorated wrestler at both the middle school and national level, and another freshman, Hayden Jackson was a state placer last year in middle school and will help Eastern in the middleweight divisions.
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2023-24 Eastern Hancock Wrestling Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Nov. 18;at Hornet Wrestling Invite (Rossville);9 a.m.
Nov. 21;vs. Alexandria-Monroe;6 p.m.
Nov. 29;vs. Madison-Grant;6 p.m.
Dec. 2;at New Palestine Invite;TBD
Dec. 5;at Triton Central;6 p.m.
Dec. 9;at Union City Super Six;9 a.m.
Dec. 12;at Tri;6 p.m.
Dec. 28;at Spartan Classic (Connersville);9 a.m.
Jan. 6;at Wayne County Classic;9 a.m.
Jan. 9;vs. Frankton;6 p.m.
Jan. 11;at Greenfield-Central;6:30 p.m.
Jan. 13;at Lapel Invite;9 a.m.
Jan. 20;at MEC (Cowan);9 a.m.
