Stars see opportunity for signature win in opener

DANE FUELLING

WZBD.com

With the confidence of a Team State bid in the 1A tournament already in their proverbial pockets (wrestlers don’t have pockets, you see), the South Adams Starfires are ready to attack a lopsided lineup of the Delta Eagles Thursday night in their season opener.

The Eagles fell in the IndianaMat 2A rankings, dropping to #5, after their first action of the season saw just nine of last year’s varsity wrestlers return to the team, instead of the twelve that were expected when the season ended in February.

Despite being the likely favorites to win this year’s semi-state because of their four studs, the Eagles are not looking to be quite the dual meet threat that they once were. That leaves the window open for the Starfires Thursday night. They feel they have one of their deepest dual lineups in years.

Unfortunately, though, the Starfires are not yet to full strength and they will have a second forfeit in the lineup at 106, in addition to the one they plan to carry all year long at 285. Additionally, the team is likely to be without Will Patterson, who is nursing an injury from football and not quite back to full strength.

DELTA’S FAB FOUR

• Kaid Jackson (Sr.) – #3 at 113 in Indiana – 5th Place at State last season
• Reed Wicker (So.) – #6 at 120 in Indiana – 5th Place at State last season
• Jensen Boyd (Jr.) – #4 at 132 in Indiana – 4th Place at State in 2024 (suffered season-ending injury last December)
• Sam Mosier (Jr.) – #4 at 144 in Indiana – 4th Place at State last season

The matchup itself creates one big problem for South Adams: Their two forfeits do not line up with Delta’s four studs. That means the Stars could be spotting their opponent Thursday night to 36 near-automatic points – and Delta will need just one more fall in the other eight bouts to get to 42.

That doesn’t leave many openings for the Stars, but a good night from them is likely to see a scoreline of 48-36, 42-42 or something in between. Finding a way to give up just 4 or 5 team points instead of a fall could be a gamechanger.

On big swing match will likely come at 138, with another likely at 175. If the Starfires can get good performances from Braxtyn Hough and Nic Brewster, two boys who are much stronger and mature than they were a year ago as freshman, then it will go a long ways toward a signature victory.

Join the Z Team Thursday night on YouTube and find out for yourself how it unfolds.

Note: Records listed are last year’s varsity records. Those not wrestling in last year’s state tournament are listed with no record.

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Dane Fuelling

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