Season preview: Gifford looks for growth from young BC wrestling team

Veteran Banner County wrestling coach Bill Gifford looks for growth from his young squad as the 2014-15 season gets underway Friday.

The youthful Wildcats sport a team of just three, and only one of those is a returning wrestler from a season ago.

"We will go through some growing pains again with only one returner and a small team," Gifford said. "If we can stick to the basics and improve each time out, this will give us the foundation to make the proper adjustments late in the season to give us the opportunity to meet our goals."

Banner County's lone returning wrestler this season is Garrett Grubbs. Gifford expects Grubbs to step up into a leadership role and to help his team's two newcomers this year.

"Garrett Grubbs will have to step up and lead," Gifford said. "He is our only returner, and needs to meet that challenge. His success will depend on his approach early in the season, and that will also determine how the others respond."

The team's two newcomers are Brandon Blickensderfer and Sam Hoover.

"They will have to put in the time and be willing to take some shots," Gifford said. "They must be patient with their training and trust it will help them improve."

The veteran coach said his young team's willingness to learn is a strength heading into the season.

"Our willingness to learn and work hard will be our biggest asset," he said. "With small numbers, we will be able to focus more on individual skills."

The biggest challenge for the Wildcats this season is the team's youth and inexperience.

"Our numbers and our lack of experience will be our biggest challenge," Gifford said. He added that with the team's inexperience, that it needs to improve in all aspects of the sport.

Banner County opens the season Friday at the Crawford Invitational. The Wildcats host their tournament on Dec. 13.