Wooster, Triway wrestling teams look to youth and experience for growth in 2025-26

A year ago Wooster’s wrestling team was mostly inexperienced. The Generals were competitive in a lot of instances but needed some more seasoning to score in the bigger events.

This year the Generals have some of that. With just one letter-winner gone from the 2024-25 squad, Wooster brings a much more experienced bunch to the mat this year. That includes 11 letter-winners.

Among those is 157-pound sophomore Brant Barnard, a sectional placer last season at 150. He leads a group of veterans that includes seniors Calvin Babb (175), King Blair (285), Aidan Bisesi (138) and Hunter Shuster (285); juniors Billy Lock (215) and Matthew Lee (138); and sophomores Brandon Butler (132), Dane Hoffman (150), Sawyer Main (175) and Malachi Stasiowski (144).

The newcomers, all freshmen, include Brayden Burns (106), Camdyn Gaines (113), Wilson Winkle (126), Angelo Ortiz (132), Vinny Peretti (126), Evan Pratt-Bahr (215) and Owen Zidron (126).

“We have more experience returning than we have in the last few seasons,” Generals coach Brian Teter said. “With 11 returning letter-winners, we will look to that group for leadership among our team. We will have to see how the weight classes shake out this season with a lot of our returning letter-winners being around the same weight classes.”

The good thing about kids packed together weight-wise is the competition within the team gets better and better. The downside is lack of match experience for some.

Teter said experience will be a key this year. The Generals still will be young next year, with only a few seniors. The more the up-and-comers get to wrestle, the better for the figures.

Last year Wooster finished sixth in the seven-team Ohio Cardinal Conference — which has increased to eight this year with the addition of Dover — ahead of Mansfield Senior.

The coach, now in his fifth year, is hoping to improve upon the league finish. Sending a handful of athletes to the district tournament also would signify some improvement roster-wise.

Triway

Last year was a struggle for the Titans, who finished last in the eight-team Principals Athletic Conference. They lost just two wrestlers from that team but don’t return much either, a product of low numbers in the program, something many schools Triway’s size must deal with.

“With our numbers and youth, we know we’re not entering the season as a top contender in the league,” coach Tim Pomfret said. “Our focus is on development, steady improvement and being competitive in every dual. If we keep growing the way I expect, we should surprise some teams by the end of the year and put ourselves in a stronger position moving forward.”

One positive to be found among the low numbers is none of the returners or newcomers on the roster this year are seniors. So though the team will be a work in progress, the progress should be apparent.

Back are junior Logan McCollum and sophomores Andrew Stahl, Liam Krupp, Jonah Krupp, Austin Houser and Landen Harvey. Harvey returns after being a district qualifier a year ago at 215. Liam Krupp was a district alternate a year ago at 132. District qualifier Brody Snyder graduated.

“This season we’re going to look noticeably younger,” said Pomfret, entering year one of his second tenure with the Titans after coaching for seven years two decades ago. “With only 12 wrestlers on the roster — and most of them being freshmen and sophomores — we’ll be relying heavily on underclassmen in our lineup. We don’t have any seniors, so this group will be learning on the fly and growing together week by week. The difference this year is that the team will be gaining experience in real time, and I expect that arc to show by the end of the season.”

New in the fold are junior Jayden Lewis, sophomore Zander Morris, and freshmen Vinny Vizzo, Addison Stahl, Cash Colter and Caleb Mairs.

“Our biggest strength will be the competitiveness and energy of our younger athletes,” Pomfret said. “They’re coachable, eager and hungry to prove themselves. Despite the small roster, the kids we do have are committed to improving. We may not fill every weight class, but the wrestlers we put on the mat will battle hard and bring intensity every night.”