Second-year RMHS coach Whiting expects continued improvement

As he enters his second year at the helm of the Rocky Mountain High School wrestling program, head coach Eddie Whiting sees good things ahead for his still relatively young but growing squad.

Whiting has been able to maintain solid numbers for his team, even though there are no Burlington students on the team this year, at least not yet. There are 17 athletes out for the squad this year, including four girls, with two seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores and four freshmen competing in the wrestling room.

“I feel that these guys are going to be pretty solid throughout the year,” Whiting said at practice last Thursday. “I see that we have a lot of returners back as our strength, and they actually helped recruit this year.”

Asked if the Grizz will fill more weight classes this year from top to bottom, Whiting said he is hopeful but noted, “Right now we still are jammed right in that middle area. We’ve got a lot of kids that are pretty solid at the middle weight classes, but I feel that could either go up or down.”

The two seniors on the squad are Rebecca Herren and Curtis Wachob. Herren competed at 130 last year and is starting the new season at 140. Wachob returns at 285. They will provide leadership along with juniors Triffen Jolley (165 pounds to start this season), who won two matches at the state tournament last year and just missed placing at 144, Colten Bitton (144), Jacoby Wachob (150) and Emmilee Wambeke (130).

“I expect Triffen to step up, the same with Rebecca Herren and Emmilee Wambeke,” Whiting said when asked about team leadership. “And then Curtis Wachob. He’s our other heavyweight, and he came to me and he said he’s really fired up for this year. I see him stepping up and then Dalan Wambeke (sophomore, 150), too. He’s got a fire in him.”

Herren and Wambeke are joined on the girls roster by sophomore Charlee Anderson (235) and freshman Grace McAlhany (140).

Other sophomores on the team are Masen Twomey (285), Paul Shetler (165), William Torres (215) and Sam Loyning (132), who made the state tournament last year at 126 pounds.

Freshmen are Austin Weller (144), Ethan Haslem (144), Zach Unruh (144) and Alex Walker (285).

Whiting said the team has been working on fundamentals and conditioning in the wrestling room, though not doing as much running as people might think.

“Everyone says that we do a lot of running. I feel that the way to get better at wrestling is a lot of live wrestling, so we do a lot of that, and then we do a lot of conditioning and just being mat ready.”

Former Grizzly wrestler Travis Lytle is assisting Whiting this year, along with volunteer Jake Jolley.

The Grizz will kick off the season at the Powell Invitational, as usual, Friday, but the girls will wrestle a separate tournament at Cody High School. Wrestling begins at noon for the boys on Friday and 12:30 p.m. for the girls. Both locations start at 9 a.m. Saturday.