Wrestling Season Begins for the Spartans

Numbers, Expectations, Excitement Are High

     Monday brought the last day of political ads for the Presidential campaigns, but also brought the first of many wrestling practices for the wrestlers of Broad Run.  With numbers in the high forties on Day 1, the coaches were excited to see so many kids come out and be ready to roll.  But this season brought a new start to the season in terms of expectations and style of practice.

     After back to back seasons of Top 10 Regional finishes for the Varsity Spartans, as well as having multiple State Qualifiers, the program looked to take a step to the next level.  To take that step, the coaching staff decided that it would be best to separate the programs to focus on fundamentals with the younger, rookie wrestlers, while the veteran guys would be pushed to a new, and uncomfortable, level of conditioning and drilling.

     For some, the new approach to the beginning of the season was a rude awakening to the lack of preparation in the pre-season, but everyone was able to quickly adjust and get back to giving their all for the benefit of themselves and the team.  With a mix of long and short distance running, Crossfit-style training and intense drilling, the Spartan staff feels that they are in a better spot after the first week than they have in the past years.

     "We feel like the week was incredibly productive"  said Coach Totaro.  "I think a few were shocked a bit to see how different things were, but as we sit here on Saturday morning, I feel like we are in much better shape than a year ago."

     Coach Josh Costa had much the same sentiments.  "I like our level of intensity in our drilling" he said, "we are focusing on the basics in week one, but we are doing the basics at full speed and that is what we need at this point.  

     The JV program is also off to a great start with close to 30 young guys filling the room.  Of those 30, almost half are freshman coming to the program, and the sport, for the first time.  Also new to the JV program is former team volunteer coach, now Head JV Coach Marshal Ausberry.  While Coach Ausberry is in his first year as the leader of the program, he is still seeing the same progress that the Varsity room is seeing.

     "The kids are aggressive, which is huge.  We can teach a lot of things, but it's hard to teach aggression," said Ausberry.  Coach was also sure to add that "[he] think[s] we can be very successful with this group if they continue to work at this level."

     So even though the season is only 6 days old, expectations are sky high and the excitement of the coaches over the talent and numbers is a great sign of things to come.  Be sure to check back in to see just how well the Spartans do all season long!