By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Wrestling, the most brutal and unforgiving sport, rewards experience. Bedford North Lawrence has very little of that as the Stars prepare to weather a rough winter forecast.
With only two seniors, with only one returning veteran with postseason success, BNL is bracing for the harsh reality of exposure to the elements. Learning on the mat leads to a lot of hard lessons.
“It could be an interesting winter,” BNL coach Mike Branam said. “It’s going to be as challenge for us.”
BNL will count on Wyatt Philpott, who advanced to the regional last season, for leadership by example. He went 18-8 at 120 pounds, finished fourth in the sectional before falling in the first round of the regional, then grew during the offseason.
“He’s looking a lot better,” Branam said. “He’s up around 138 pounds, so it will be tougher on him. If he keeps working, he can make another run. It depends on how badly he wants it.”
The rest of the 14-man roster, outside of senior Alex Johnson, is a first-year competitor or a sophomore who absorbed a lot of growing pains last year. BNL will likely fill most of the weight classes, looking for breakout performances.
“It’s a lot of teaching, a lot of learning,” Branam said. “We’re spending a lot of time on the mental aspect. Wrestling is such a tough sport, your mental attitude is half of it. Technique is great, muscle is great, but if you don’t have the mental capacity to keep fighting when things get rough, it’s hard. We have to be the aggressor, be the bully out on the mat. That takes time to teach.”
Branam is looking for Caine Restall, now a sophomore at 157, to make an impact.
“He’s young for that class, but he’s built better, more solid, and he’s focused,” Branam said. “He could surprise some people. He got beat up some as a freshman, he’s ready to give some of that back.
“It’s going to be a rough season. I want to focus on the small victories. We won’t measure our season by our win-loss record, but by our improvement. As long as we get better every match and learn something each match, that’s what we need.”
BNL will open the season on Saturday, hosting the Super Six Duals.
