Bears growling again, but haven’t hit their peak yet

On the back of the warm-up shorts that Waynedale’s wrestling team has worn all season is the phrase “iron sharpens iron.”

But to the Golden Bears, the verse is much, much more than a motivational saying — it’s a way of life.

Waynedale has been the area standard when it comes to the sport, with this winter being no different, but it starts with everyone doing their jobs and striving for a common goal.

“We all work hard, and our captains push our whole team,” said junior 157-pounder Robert McCrork, a state alternate last season. “Our whole team stays after, works extra, and we don’t even have to tell anyone to work extra. They find a partner or one of our coaches and work on what they need to work on.”

With a talented group of battle-tested veterans — including All-Ohioan Stephen Patterson (113 pounds) and fellow state qualifier Caden Schmeltzer (138) — and a freshman class that has made an immediate impact, the Golden Bears are in position to do some great things this postseason.

And to longtime coach Louie Stanley, it comes down to their willingness to do more than just what’s needed.

“All the kids want to do good; they feed off each other,” he said. “We talk about working hard after practice, putting in extra time, and they’re doing it. They’re self-motivated. It’s definitely a family unit right now, and any sport that is successful always says that. You can’t have just a couple kids and one coach; you need everybody bought in.”

It’s a team Stanley noted in the preseason might be his best dual-meet team in his over three decades at the helm — made evident by recently winning the district portion of the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals.

The team also has victories at the Al Pinter Memorial Tournament, Waynedale Duals, a runner-up showing at the Thunderbird Invitational and a third-place finish at the Wheeling Park Duals, one that included a victory over a tough Stuebenville team.

That success this season has started with the top of the lineup as Patterson, freshman Brock Beckler (106) and freshman Riley Greathouse (126) are all ranked in the top 10 individually, according to borofanohio.net, along with McCrork at 15. Schmeltzer, who recently surpassed the 100 career win plateau, was seventh in the state at 126 as a freshman and just missed placement in 2023.

“It’s been amazing,” Schmeltzer said of this season. “We knew from the start that we would be a tough team, but we’re really proving ourselves right now. I can’t wait for (the postseason) so we can really show what we got.”

Combine that with other rookies in Isaak Skelly at 120 and Dalton Oberly at 132, along with Bears such as senior Alex McCartney (190) and sophomore Brandon Walters (285) at the other end of the lineup, and it’s clear the team has found a mix that works.

But it’s been the wrestlers outside of those that are ranked by various outlets that has kept the Bears progressing, notably 175-pounder Jayden Schlabach recently beating state-ranked Kaden Russell of Dalton.

“Different kids are shining and coming out at different times,” Stanley said. “Wrestling is a long, hard season, so you’re going to have a down match or a down weekend. But I like how we’ve been progressing.

“We’re happy, but we have a lot of work to do. We’re not even close to peaking, and we don’t want to peak. We have five to six weeks left, so our goal is to peak around districts and state.”