FHSU wrestlers ranked 10th; scrimmage tonight
Nov. 3, 2005
By NABIL SHAHEEN
Hays Daily News
There are 35 Tigers on the roster.
And Fort Hays State University wrestling coach Cody Bickley doesn't care if it's a true freshman or standout senior, he wants the 10 best wrestlers on the mat to represent his starting lineup.
He'll get an even better idea who that is tonight at 7:30 in Gross Memorial Coliseum when the Tigers compete in their annual Black and Gold scrimmage.
Admission is free for the scrimmage, which offers a final tuneup before the Tigers begin their tournament season Nov. 13 at the Cowboy Open.
"This year, with the team that we have, no matter individually if they need a redshirt year or not, we're going to put our 10 best guys on the mat," Bickley said. "We kind of held back a little bit last year to position ourselves to do things good this year. But time will tell who those 10 will be."
The Tigers are the preseason 10th-ranked team in NCAA Division II. On the squad are senior All-Americans Andrew Ubben and Aaron Meister who highlight a veteran group of wrestlers that took medical redshirts last season.
"There's going to be some spots that are up for grabs with guys coming off redshirts," Bickley said. "We have some of the younger guys that still need to step in and prove themselves for some of those spots. There will be some good challenges Thursday night."
Bickley said his team has had some matches in the FHSU wrestling room with wrestlers competing for starting spots, but the atmosphere won't match GMC under the spotlight.
"We've held some preliminary ranking matches in here but it's totally different out there," Bickley said. "You've got people watching, it's down to the final two guys - we don't want them reserved."
While fans will be treated to some of the veterans returning to action, everyone in attendance will get a first look at a standout recruiting class headed by Clay Center freshman Danny Grater who graduated high school riding a 112-match winning streak.
"Everybody is going to get a sneak peak at Danny Grater," Bickley said. "He's going to be a very talented young man that's going to be doing some good things. We're still not for sure if he's going to redshirt or not, but we'll throw him in there right now."
Fans can expect tight matches, Bickley said, with the wrestlers and opponents, so to speak, knowing each other so well.
"The ranking matches are a little bit harder because they work out with each other on a daily basis," Bickley said. "So with two closely matched guys, there's not going to be a lot of scoring but that's the nature of it - they know each other so well, and they're evenly matched."
And while plenty of time remains for wrestlers to solidify their rank, Bickley says tonight's matches are a big step towards finding the 10 best.
"It's not the final decision," Bickley said. "If they win it's not a lock, but it's one of the criteria we're going to use because obviously head-to-head is pretty important. So it is not be taken lightly."
Sports reporter Nabil Shaheen can be reached at (785) 628-1081 ext. 127 or by e-mail at nshaheen@dailynews.net.