APPLE CREEK — Waynedale is about to complete a “Decade of Dominance” in wrestling, which was born out of a pair of single- digit setbacks at the little Wayne County Athletic League Tournament in 2005 and 2006. “We were so upset by those close losses to Northwestern (162-159. 5 and then 188-187) that we decided we didn’t want to just win County the next year — we wanted to win it the next 10,” said 23rd-year Waynedale head coach Louie Stanley. “That was our plan and we’ve won nine of 10. “What it really led to is more success at the sectional, district nd state level, which has been even more amazing to us. ”
The Golden Bears won their fifth straight WCAL title, the most for the school in any sport, on Saturday at Chippewa. Waynedale has set its sites on much higher prizes to close out the season over the next month. The Bears are headed to their first OHSAA State Duals on Sunday at Ohio State’s St. John Arena with a school-best 31-0 record and the No. 3 seed out of eight teams in Div. III. Later this month, Waynedale will be favored to win its seventh sectional title and is expected to vie for a fifth district crown in 10 years.
The Bears have a chance for a top-five state individual tournament finish for the fifth time in a decade when they visit the Schottenstein Center March 3-5. Before Waynedale’s current run, highlighted by a Div. III state title in 2012, only one other area team had ever finished in the state’s top five (Orrville, 1978). What’s the secret? One of the first questions in examining Waynedale’s recent boom is a simple one: “How are they doing it? ” The Bears have a long, rich wrestling tradition that dates back to the 1960s. They’ve regularly won league titles and sent qualifiers o the state tournament, but the ascension to a small-school state power has only happened in the last decade. After the second loss to Northwestern, Stanley said he had a heart-to-heart talk with the returning wrestlers about the future of the program.
Going forward it was going to be either all or nothing. “I told the guys at the time, ‘I’ve got a lot of things on my plate,” Stanley said. “I’ve got little kids (future standouts Brenden, Reid and Logan Stanley were in grade school then) and I love to hunt, fish and camp. ‘ “I told them if they’re willing to buckle down, I’ll keep coaching, ut I’m not here to get second place anymore. Guys like Jared Neff (two-time state-placer 2007-08) and David Stiltner (2007 state champ) said, ‘We’re in. We’ll do whatever it takes. ” Stanley also took a look at his own coaching style and decided something was missing: the mental approach “We did a lot more emphasis on the mind, talked a lot more about little things,” Stanley said. “I felt like we were training pretty hard and I don’t think we lost based on effort. I felt we were missing the right mindset — that self-fulfilling prophecy. ” Stanley is a big fan of legendary heavyweight boxing champion
Muhammad Ali and believes in his “I am the greatest” mentality. The coach doesn’t necessarily want his grapplers going around telling everyone that, but believes they need an internal confidence to win at the highest level. “I talked to people who I look up to at the high school and college level (for motivational theories),” Stanley said. “I did a lot of reading, not just about wrestling, but people who have been great role models in general. We really added the elements of visualization, faith and prayer. “My first six or seven years, I tried the old military approach:
We’re gonna be tougher than anybody,” Stanley continued. “I’d yell, scream, condition them, and we were pretty good, but | wasn’t getting it done with the whole team. I think a lot of coaches miss the fact that every kid is different and if some of them are getting yelled at all the time at home it doesn’t mean anything to them to hear it at a practice. ” Stanley was quick to point out that the wrestlers, assistant coaches and community all deserve lots of praise for the Bears’ success. “We’ve had amazing kids, who work hard and listen to what we tell them,” Stanley said. Assistant coaches Nick Widder, Garth Fowler, Jon Beam, Brad Wardell and Corey Pattin do a great job. We have incredible fan support, too. ”
The highlight so far has been the 2012 team, which won the area’s first state wrestling title and had a whopping six placers led by state champion Zeb Beam. The following year, Zack Nelson added another championship and the community came together to build a state-of-the-art wrestling facility. It’s a 120-by-45-foot room attached to a concession stand/locker room that would have cost $170,000 if not for the volunteered labor and materials that lowered the rice considerably. Donations led by the Waynedale Athletic Booster Club helped pay for the rest. With the Waynedale wrestling momentum as strong as ever, the current Bears have a chance to end this season with a legacy that will be right up there with the school’s best.
Two state tournaments After defeating rivals Northwestern (46-20) and then Tuslaw (42-27) in the Div. III Regional Duals in its home gym, Waynedale got over the hump following three close regional losses in the previous years to reach its first State Duals. The Bears have a chance to make their mark as a State Duals eam this Sunday and as individuals at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center on March 3-5. Leading the 2016 Bears are five grapplers with 100 or more career wins: returning senior state-placers Reid Stanley (160 pounds, 49-0 this season), Tristan Anderson (182, 48-2) and Christian Wellman (113, 42-0), along with junior district qualifier Kyle Ice (113, 45-3) and senior Mike Wilson (132, 42-9). Reid Stanley and Anderson are both ranked third at their weights by Josh Lowe, while Wellman is No. 5. Also ranked in the top 10 for the Bears are sophomore Logan Stanley (152, 44-4, No. 6) and Ice (No. 6).
Reid Stanley is actually a 200-win grappler for his career and should pass 2015 Norwayne graduate Kollin Moore’s 204 victories for the all-time area record. A three-time state-placer (fifth, fourth, seventh), Reid Stanley is trying to use the positive mental approach that’s become a staple of the Bears to go all the way. “Everyone should have the goal of being a state champion and that’s obviously mine,” said Reid, who has a chance to become the program’s first four-time state-placer. “I want to go undefeated and end the season at the top of the podium. “No matter what happens, I’m not going to have regrets ecause I’m working my hardest and doing what I’m supposed to be doing. ”
Reid Stanley lost to eventual champ Logan LaCure of Dayton Christian 13-5 in the 145 state semifinals last year. In looking back, Reid Stanley said that match taught him a lot. “I learned that I’ve gotta focus on myself and working my stuff, don’t be so concerned about what the other man is doing,” Reid Stanley said. “I’m gonna wrestle my match and remember I’m there for a reason. If something does go wrong, I learned last year that you’ve just gotta bounce back. That’s a life lesson for other stuff, too. Wellman is hoping his team can set itself apart at the State Duals. “It’s great to make it with the new format and I’d love to make it as far as possible,” Wellman said. “We can’t overlook (Versailles) in the first round and Mechanicsburg will be really tough in the semis, but it would be great to face Delta in the finals.
Along with the 2012 (individual) state team title Waynedale won, it would be nice to see one for State Duals, too. “Individually, I’d love to be on top of the state podium. That’s what I work for every day. ” Anderson actually dropped to the lowest weight class of his areer for his senior year to help the Bears become a better dual team. “Being my last run, I want to be on top of the podium,” Anderson said. “I’ve been training for four years for that now. “I’ve tasted fourth and seventh (at 195) — it’s not good enough to just get down there and place. I’ve been beat by the state runner-up two years in a row and I want to win it all this year. I feel quicker and still feel like I have a lot of strength over the guys who are naturally there instead of cutting down. ”
Depth is added from the likes of still more dedicated wrestlers, such as seniors Graham Hostetler (120, 31-12), Tucker Wirth 145, 33-16) and Trevor Richardson (138, 18-17); junior Tyson Miller (285, 22-12); sophomores Ty Straits (195, 29-4), Ben Farrar (220, 32-7) and Evan Hostetler (126, 39-11) and freshman Bailey Lemon (106, 17-21). They helped complete a perfect 14 for 14 effort for Waynedale wrestlers placing in the top four in the eight-team WCAL Meet. That “positive approach” coaching style worked perfectly for Lemon at Chippewa. Despite owning a sub-. 500 record as a rookie and facing a Northwestern opponent who had pinned him three days prior, after a pre-match “you can do it” pep talk, Lemon won a WCAL title with a pin.
The WCAL Meet was just one more instance of the 2016 Bears putting their own stamp on the “Decade of Dominance. ” “They’re tight knit and they’ve won a ridiculous amount together,” coach Stanley said. “These guys have done it all. I have to shut off the lights and kick them out of the room after practices on a lot of nights. “They’re very coachable, hard-working, good students and courteous. They have all the qualities you want in a student- athlete. Hopefully, they’re far from done. ” Aaron Dorksen can be reached at 330-287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record. com. Follow him on Twitter at @adorksenTDR.