PINNING COMBINATION … Edon freshman Tripp Nester (above) has his opponent on his back for a fall in the Lincolnview Invitational held earlier this season. The Bombers are competing in wrestling for the first time in school history.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
For the first time in school history, Edon High School is officially fielding a wrestling team, and the Bombers are taking small steps in their first season in the sport.
Despite being the newest wrestling program in Northwest Ohio this season and with the partnership with Montpelier High School, the Bombers have quickly learned what it takes to put together a successful program for the future.
Edon athletic director Matt Ripke said there were several people who had shown interest in getting the wrestling program started at the school several years ago.
“We had some younger kids at our school that had been involved in biddy wrestling programs at other places,” said Ripke. “We also had some parents who had brought up the idea to me and to Superintendent Anthony Stevens.”
In its inaugural season, Edon has five varsity wrestlers and seven junior high wrestlers on its roster.
On the varsity roster, junior Dillon Slone is the lone upperclassman. Jackson Allen, Rielynn Camper, Tripp Nester and Parker Stump are all freshmen.
Junior high wrestlers are David Chapman, Grant Hake, Liam Hickman, Cale McBride, Xander Myers, Conner Osmun-Shook and Walker Schooley.
Ripke said it was kind of an 18-month to two-year process to get where the program is currently at.
“The first thing I did was to send out a survey to fourth-grade through eleventh-grade students and their parents to gauge interest and see how many would be interested in participating in wrestling,” said the Edon athletic director.
“It’s one thing for somebody to say, ‘we’re interested and another thing is to fill out the form and then actually to follow through with it. That’s where it started.”
Ripke and Stevens then met with a couple of different schools, including Montpelier, and decided that Edon’s best move forward was to partner with Montpelier to establish a high school wrestling program.
Montpelier athletic director Joe Brigle said that Ripke had reached out to him sometime late spring or early summer, discussing the possibilities of housing a wrestling program for Edon.
“They had a couple of different options and eventually they (Edon) landed here in Montpelier,” said Brigle.
“It’s kind of been in the works now for nine months as far as trying to organize and plan this. For us, it was a good fit because we’re still trying to build our wrestling program.
“It gives extra bodies in the room for our kids to spar and practice against. It also helps them try and develop to start a program that seems to be with their kids an exciting thing.”
Last August, a five-year agreement between Edon and Montpelier utilizing the wrestling facilities at the former Superior Middle School was approved, thus paving the way for the Bombers to begin their first year of wrestling.
“Wrestling is a different sport,” said Brigle. “They (Edon) seem to be very committed to this. The kids who are involved from Edon, I think they’re committed and have shown a tremendous amount of interest in this. I know they had a few kids who had some wrestling experience before this.”
Currently, the Bombers and Locos both practice in the same wrestling room in Montpelier and travel together to various invitationals and meets this season.
Montpelier head wrestling coach Jordan Birdsall said it has been a whole different experience with Edon.
“It was something that we needed, more numbers in our practice room,” said Birdsall.
“The more kids we have around each weight class, is going to make for more competitive practices. They will be able to show that out in weekend tournaments.”
Birdsall commented that there were several parents from Edon who had reached out to him with interest, and he was willing to pursue it.
“Once I had talked with Joe Brigle to gain some insight from him, I started to attend Edon School Board meetings and see where their staff was with the idea,” said the Montpelier coach.
“Overall, it’s been a good thing. The kids can compete more and staying interested.”
Following the joint school board approval involving both wrestling programs, Birdsall, from his own standpoint, was positive about the idea.
“As soon as Joe (Brigle) called me, I was excited to reach out and get the word out there, trying to get interest and see how many kids we have to come out,” commented Birdsall.
The Bombers are coached by two of Birdsall’s assistant coaches, Jason Randall and Steven Shook, both of whom have valuable wrestling experience.
“Obviously, the goal is to get them uprooted and to have their own program,” said Birdsall.
“There haven’t been any issues so far. We’ve been good as far as the kids filling weight classes.
“We travel together as a team, warm up together as a team, and we cheer each other on together. To me, I’m coaching kids either way in a Montpelier or Edon singlet. It’s overall good for us.”
This season, Edon has already competed in several area varsity invitationals (Hicksville, Lincolnview, Parkway and Woodmore). They will be competing in the Lima Central Catholic Invitational this weekend.
On the junior high level, the Bombers achieved a third-place finish in the Antwerp Invitational this season. They also competed in the Wayne Trace, Bryan, and Liberty Center Invitationals.
“It’s been a learning curve for sure for our athletes, and it’s been a learning curve for me,” said Ripke.
“They’re continuing to improve and getting to see a lot of good action, a lot of good matches in. That was probably the biggest concern I had.
“Wrestling is a different animal when it comes to scheduling. The tournaments that we have gotten into, people are more than welcoming to allow our kids to join in, which is huge.
“I worry about the duals; that seems to be the thing of the past. We’ve been able to get our kids into almost every event that mirrors the schedule Montpelier had already put together.
“Our kids are seeing a lot of good competition at the invites. They are finding out what it takes to be successful in wrestling.”
