Story and photo by Cort Reynolds
ADA - The Ada varsity wrestling program enters its second season under head coach David Ames featuring some seasoned grapplers ready to make a run to districts and beyond.
Six of the nine matmen on the roster are returning lettermen, with three promising freshmen boasting plenty of youth wrestling experience.
One returning wrestler won a match at the district level last season, while another qualified as an alternate at districts.
Three seniors, one junior and two sophomores complete the roster.
The squad has basic goals for the season with the pandemic affecting everything on a day-by-day basis.
"At this point we are really just hoping to have a season," said coach Ames. "With the pandemic in full swing, and wrestling being 100 percent contact, we are working hard to follow the OHSAA guidelines to ensure that we can wrestle this year.
"As a team, we have already reached one goal which was to get our numbers up some from last year," he continued. "Also, we hope to place wrestlers in every tournament this year."
Projected lineup by weight class, with coach quotes:
113 Clayton McClain (9th)
"Clayton McClain is our freshman 113. He is a fierce competitor and a very solid wrestler. He has been wrestling most of his life. We are excited to see what he can do at the high school level."
120 Colton Biederman (12th)
"Colton Biederman is one of our team captains, and the longest-tenured varsity wrestler on the team (with three letters). Last year we got to see him break out of his shell, place in most tournaments, get a couple serious wins when they counted and make it to districts for the first time.
"This year we hope to continue that trend, and maybe make a run to qualify for state."
126 Antonio Pettit (10th)
"Antonio Pettit was an amazing surprise last year (as a freshman). He had wrestled when he was much younger, but hadn't done so in years. He came out, fought hard, placed in most tournaments, made it to and won a district match a districts, and narrowly lost his second. We have the same goal for him as we do with Biederman."
152 Cole Anspaugh (12th)
"Cole Anspaugh made his wrestling debut last year, and had a rough start, wrestling a higher weight class in the beginning, with zero experience. He worked very hard over the season, and we saw some serious growth. Our goal for him is to continue that growth and score us some points this year."
152 Julian Grose (9th)
"Julian Grose is a freshman and is brand new to the sport, but he shows some serious promise. Our main goal with him is to foster a love for the sport in him so he comes back year after year."
160 Aaron Arnett (9th)
"Aaron Arnett is a freshman and has wrestled for years. We are hoping he will make a name for himself and secure his spot in the lineup."
170 Kyle Mattson (10th)
"Kyle Mattson is a returning sophomore who is a hard worker, extremely strong, and we are hoping that he will open up this year and really make a name for himself in the area."
220 Jonathan McClain (12th)
"Jonathan McClain is the third and final senior in the lineup. He was brand new last year, but had some success, and ended up qualifying as a district alternate. We are hoping to take that to the next level and wrestle at districts this year."
285 Brandon Paul (11th)
"Brandon Paul is a junior who wrestled when he was a freshman, but took a year off and is back and ready to wrestle for us. He is strong and determined, and we are excited to see what he can do."
NWC opponents
As far as the league title is concerned, three-time defending champion Allen East is the clear favorite again.
"The NWC favorite is Allen East for sure," said Ames, a former Mustang assistant. "As a team, Iím not sure where we will end up. I'm hoping middle of the pack, but it will all depends on numbers, and what we can and canít wrestle this year."
The Bulldogs are looking to continue an upward rebuilding trend after finishing seventh at the eight-team Northwest Conference title meet in 2019.
AE won the league crown easily for the eighth time overall last winte with 341 points. Spencerville took second (223) and Bluffton was third (218.5).
Delphos Jefferson took fourth (178.5), followed by Columbus Grove (171), Paulding (159), Ada (106) and Lincolnview (73).
Ames served as an assistant for the powerful AE program for several years before taking over at Ada. He also previously assisted at Ada under the Bulldog program's first head coach, Branden Nickles.
Ada opens its mat season December 5 at the annual Cory-Rawson Duals meet. The Bulldogs are slated to host the Ada Invitational February 6.
The NWC title meet will be at Bluffton Saturday, February 20. Sectionals are set for LCC in Lima on Feb. 26-27.
The team
The Ada varsity wrestling team, from left, front: Antonio Pettit, Clayton McClain.
Middle: Cole Anspaugh, Colton Biederman, Aaron Arnett.
Back: head coach David Ames, Kyle Mattson, Johnny McClain, Julian Grose.
