The Apalachee High School wrestling team used last week as a time to heal up and rest up as it prepares for the stretch run of the campaign.
Mat Wildcat coach Jim Stoudenmire will take his team to Cornelia this weekend for the Habersham Central Sham Slam, a tournament which the coach describes as a “meat grinder.”
“It is going to be a tough tournament,” the coach said, “There will be quality teams from all different classifications such as Jefferson and Collins Hill.”
Going into the two-day event, Stoudenmire said he believes his Wildcats match up well with several teams at the event.
In addition, the coach will look for standout AHS grapplers such as Aaron Segars, Zak Moore, Chris Hamrick and Austin Shepherd to perform well and perhaps increase their seeding for upcoming postseason events.
Tony Hoard has been improving at heavyweight while Aaron Roberts is excelling at 112.
“We hope we have several we can place and do well individually,” Stoudenmire said. “All of our older, more experienced wrestlers should do well. Some of our younger ones have an outside chance to have success and earn some points. Anything we do positive will help us seeding wise for area. The better seeding you have, the better chance you have to do well.”
With several days off from competing in matches, the AHS coaches and wrestlers went back to basics.
“We tried to help the kids catch up in some areas,” Stoudenmire said.
“When you have an off week you can focus more on one-on-on time.”
The time away from matches also benefited the team as several competitors were suffering from ongoing chronic, nagging injuries.
“We are at that point in the season where we have covered all the basics but the extra time lets you go over things you might not have gone more 100 percent in the past,” Stoudenmire said.
The AHS coach said he continues to be pleased with how the team has progressed from the start of the season to now with several wrestlers making marked improvements.
