BLANCHARDVILLE — The Pecatonica-Argyle wrestling season is in flux before it even has had a chance to get underway, but that hasn’t stopped its student-athletes and new head coach from thinking about the upcoming season.
School board officials were set to hold a special meeting Dec. 3 to discuss the district’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes the fate of the fall sports season. The results from the meeting were unavailable at press time.
However, first-team coach Grant Sutter has a vision for this season and beyond with the Vikings.
“My expectations for each individual wrestling for me this year is that they at all times control the things that they can control. That includes mostly their effort and attitude,” Sutter said.
Sutter was a two-time WIAA Division 2 state champion at Dodgeville in 2007 and 2008. He went on to wrestle at Northern Iowa and UW-Whitewater, where he was a two-time All-American and finished second and third at nationals in 2012 and 2013. He began coaching in the summers during college at a Milwaukee-area club called the Ringers, where they focused in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.
After college, Sutter helped coach at Middleton at both the high school and youth levels. He also works with Sarbacker Wrestling Academy out of Cobb.
“My coaching style is to be an attacking wrestler always looking to score the next point and to continue to put points on the board. To do that throughout the duration of a 6-minute match, being in shape is crucial,” Sutter said. “I think you will find this Vikings lineup to be better conditioned than most after time with me in the practice room.”
Back on the mat for Pec-Argyle this winter will be seniors Dakota Doescher and Noah Krahenbuhl, a three-time state qualifier that finished sixth last year at 126 pounds in Division 3. Also back are juniors Tayte Hirsch and Kristian Orloff, plus sophomores Levi Paust, Quin Murphy and Sammy Nelson, to name a few.
Sutter said his biggest challenge with the Vikings this year is just his own introduction.
“Being a new face to a majority of the team is a challenge all itself. Winning their trust is the most critical thing. Achieving that is my biggest priority from day one,” Sutter said.
Sutter said he knows his team has skill and talent, and he feels that the Vikings have what it takes to bring home the conference crown, should they get the opportunity.
“I believe in the wrestlers that I coach and I make it a high priority to let them know that so they have belief in themselves,” Sutter said. “Winning the next match is a milestone of its own. Score the next point, win the next match, and the goals will accumulate accordingly.”
