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By PAUL BEITLER
Sports Editor
Southern Wells Raiders’ wrestling coach Ryan Landis is looking forward to the upcoming season once the roster is completely full.
Some members of the team were delayed in joining the squad because of their involvement on the football team which made it far into the postseason state tournament.
Landis finally expects the Raiders to field a full varsity lineup this season with a number of individuals who have the potential to make it to the state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in February.
The Raiders posted an 11-9 dual meet record and they were seventh at the Allen County Athletic Conference Tournament. They won the Frankton 6-way Tournament and were runners-up at the Weston Close Memorial Tournament.
“We have three returning lettermen who were only a couple matches below a .500 record. We need those three to step up and have 20-win seasons,” said Landis, who has compiled a dual meet record of 95-57.
Landis is looking for seniors Darin Fiechter and Levi Jones to lead the Raiders with the help of other returning varsity letterwinners.
Fiechter finished last year’s season with a record of 36-4, including a Jay County Sectional championship and a trip to the Fort Wayne semi-state. He also was a champion at the East Central Indiana Classic, Weston Close Memorial and ACAC meets.
Jones (26-13) also made it to semi-state.
Other top returnees are sophomore Cain Grogg (20-16) and sophomore Seth Biberstine (24-5), who was a Weston Close Memorial champion at 215 pounds.
Landis knows it is hard to tell, but he feels that the team will have several seniors back after football is over.
The Raiders also have picked up senior transfer Derreck McKay, who wrestled at Blackford. McKay is expected to have an immediate positive impact on the team.
The team, however, lost four key members of last year’s team via graduation, including Troy Fiechter, Josh Morris, Brandon Biberstine and Cody Miller.
Presently, the roster includes: freshman Benjamin Fiechter at 103 pounds; sophomores Jake Mechling and Cory Haviland at 112; senior Cody Watson at 125; junior Jacob Alford and freshman Lance Oswalt at 130; senior Darin Fiechter and sophomore Zach Green at 135; senior Blake Banter at 140; Jones at 145; McKay at 152; and Grogg at 160.
sports@news-banner.com
The indianamat.com preseason Top 20 team poll is as follows:
1. Mishawaka; 2. Crown Point; 3. Perry Meridian; 4. Castle; 5. Evansville Mater Dei; 6. Merrillville; 7. Yorktown; 8. Indianapolis Cathedral; 9. Bellmont; 10. Lawrence North; 11. Indianapolis Roncalli; 12. Bloomington South; 13. New Castle; 14. Evansville Reitz; 15. Portage; 16. Elkhart Memorial; 17. Warren Central; 18. Penn; 19. Columbus North; 20. Avon.
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