Weiser looks strong at a number of weights

The Weiser High School wrestling team is returning 30 experienced grapplers from last year, including 15 who have made a trip to the 3A state championships and are undoubtedly hungry to go back.

 They will be joined by some new faces on the roster of 45 kids who came out for the program this fall. 

 The team should be able to put two wrestlers in each weight division, except for the heavyweight class at 220-280 pounds, which will go unfilled for now.

 The team has been practicing since Nov. 12, and it’s a demanding schedule. Every day, there is an hour of study hall, a run and then the real work in the wrestling room. Even the experienced wrestlers start over and work on the fundamentals. 

 Weiser coach Drew Dickerson, who is in his 11th year leading the Weiser program, is a believer in getting back to basics every year. 

 His position on starting over every new season is difficult to rebut. If their fundamentals were great, they would be state champions.

 Week in and week out, wrestlers are trying to move up and make the varsity squad for the Wolverines. It’s a pretty easy sport to figure out the No. 1 and No. 2 guys. They square off and wrestle.

 The middle weights from 126 to 152 pounds should be solid this year for Weiser. Those weights see some of the toughest competition and Weiser has experienced wrestlers filling them. 

 Dickerson said there is going to be a bit of a learning curve early on for the kids who are moving up in weight classes. It’s an adjustment, no doubt, and especially so for kids making a 15-20 pound jump.  

 Sylais York is moving up from the lightweight 106 pounds he wrestled at last year. York had a bit of a growth spurt over the summer and will wrestle at 132 pounds this year. Connor Marsh also wrestled at the lighter weights and is returning.

 Robert Sudderth is back and also is jumping up to a heavier weight. He will wrestle at 138 pounds this year. Sudderth took sixth place at the 3A state championships at 126 pounds last year. 

 At 145 pounds this year, another returning wrestler, Matt Morris, will step up in weight to contribute to the team. Morris wrestled at 132 pounds last year.

 Senior Brody von Brethorst, who took fourth place at state last year, will wrestle at 152 pounds. That is a bump up from the 145 pounds he wrestled at last year. 

 Darrian Hoobery will wrestle at 220 pounds for Weiser, which is the same weight he wrestled at last year. He took fourth place at state last year and has lots of experience on the mat, the coach said. 

 Another talented wrestler is new to the team this year. Freshman Riley Willet comes in at 182 pounds and he’s wrestled in other programs before coming to Weiser.

 “He’s very talented for a freshman,” Dickerson said.

 The SRV Conference looks a lot like last year as far as competition with a couple of schools that are perennial powerhouses. As always, Fruitland is guaranteed to bring a competitive squad to each tournament.

 “Their coach does a really good job of getting those kids prepared,” Dickerson said.

 A former Weiser wrestler, Talon Vickers coaches a quality wrestling program at Parma High School. Dickerson and Vickers go way back. Vickers was on Weiser’s state championship team when Dickerson wrestled, and the two coaches attended WHS at the same time.

 Dickerson and his coaches have shared some thoughts about what makes a great wrestler with the team. An average wrestler wants to be left alone. He just wants to be in the room. A good wrestler wants to be coached. A great wrestler wants to be told the truth.

 “If they really stick to the fundamentals, if they listen to the coaches, if they take criticism to overcome the obstacles and continue to get better, then they can be state-caliber wrestler,” Dickerson said.

 Weiser’s first test this season will be the Bucks Bags Duals at Capital High School in Boise on Nov. 30 to Dec. 1. The Wolverines will see some good wrestlers as they go up against larger 4A and 5A schools.

 “Bucks Bags is a good test for us. It’s our first tournament and there are some good teams there so we are going to have to really compete,” Dickerson said.

 Dickerson has a couple of assistant coaches helping him out with the teams this year. Jay Rux has been an assistant wrestling coach at Weiser High for 21 years. The other coaches include Justin Erickson, Chad Gibson and Chris Willet.