The last seven weeks of the calendar year was a feeling out process for West Central Valley first-year head wrestling coach Ben Strandberg. “I didn’t actually get into town until about a week or two before school started (in August),” Strandberg said, “I didn’t really know a lot of the (wrestlers coming into the program).”
Strandberg was a guest on the final Wahl McAtee Tire and Service Center Guthrie County PM Sports Page of 2018 last night. He shared with the Raccoon Valley Radio Network that all the accomplishments of this year’s team has been a pleasant surprise to him thus far. “I didn’t know what I was coming into as a coach,” Strandberg said, “You can go back and look at stats from the previous years to see what kids you do have but (that doesn’t tell the whole story). We got a lot of talent, we got a lot of kids that work hard, and I’ve been really impressed with the way these guys have jumped on board and gotten after it.”
Among the highlights Strandberg talked about on last night show included West Central Valley’s fourth-place team finish in the West Central Activities Conference meet in Ogden on December 15. Junior Weston Pote (138) and senior Carson Wadle (182) walked away from the event as conference champions in their respective weight classes. The West Central Valley varsity wrestling team resumes dual competition Thursday, traveling for a nonconference varsity triangular against Logan-Magnolia and Tri-Center at Logan-Magnolia High School.