The Press-Dispatch
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D-10 Winter Sports Preview HWrestling Continued from page 7 to working with the team's younger members. "If a kid's having trouble with a move, a lot of times there'll be a senior turning around to help them, which allows me to help whoever I'm helping at the time," Hewig said. "So that's big for us." This year's seniors, Hewig noted, are helping to build the program so that it can continue to be successful after their high school careers are over. "They'll grab a freshman and show them how to drill; or they'll grab a freshman to show them how to do stuff," Hewig said. "I've never had that here. Even as an assistant coach, I've never had a senior class just want to make my younger guys better, and that means a lot." "That means they really care about the program," Hewig added. "The other guys cared about the program, but it's nice to see that they're thinking about the future of the program as well as their future." Hewig took eight wrestlers to Jeff Jordan's State Champ Camp in Urbana, Ohio, for a week-long team camp this past summer; in addition, Jeff Jordan's State Champ Camp coach Trey Meyers conducted a twoday camp at Pike Central Middle School this past fall. "It's nice to have one set HBoys' Continued from page 8 there are looking at us to probably have a down season," McKinney said. "I don't look at it that way at all. I look at this as good as we had last year. We have young kids but they're just as talented and we're going to go after it and we're going to do what we can do. I have making predictions, but I would think that we could be right up at the top." "We've got a lot of great kids out here at school and Hgirls' Continued from page 9 placed fifth in the PAC meet a year ago, said he expected the Lady Chargers to be a force to be reckoned with this season. "I would be surprised if we aren't somewhere around that third spot at PAC," McKinney said. "Southridge and Heritage Hills are pretty loaded up there with girl swimmers. They're really good." McKinney added, however, that the Lady Chargers could very well play the role of spoiler. "We might not be able to win it, but we'll take points away from people who think they can," McKinney said. The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, November 27, 2013 thing all the way through so when my middle schoolers come up, my high schoolers are on the same page," Hewig said. "We've been concentrating a lot on what we learned at the Jeff Jordan Camp and then just a lot of drilling in the basics so whenever we get into the season, we can start going into a lot more technical stuff that'll make a difference later on in the season." The Chargers will open the season at the Turkey Classic hosted by Mount Vernon on Friday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 30. They will then host Owensboro (Ky.) in a dual meet on Tuesday, Dec. 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. Pike Central will also host a dual meet with PAC foe Gibson Southern on Tuesday, Jan. 7. "It'll be nice to see them before we go to the conference tournament," Hewig said. The Chargers also dropped out of the Lafayette Jeff Invitational and added the Sullivan Winter Duals on Saturday, Jan. 18. "A little bit closer but different opponents, so we're not seeing the same people every year," Hewig said. "It's good to get a little bit of change in there. Kids get complacent and tired of wrestling the same people, which I understand." Hewig said that his goal is to have each individual wrestler ready to go as far as they can when the post- season begins in February. "I'd love to do well as a team, and it's exciting to do well as a team," Hewig said. "My goal is to have every kid prepared to the best of their ability to go as far as they can in the tournament." "The dual meets and everything are fun, but let's be honest, everybody remembers the state tournament, that conference tournament," Hewig added. "So we're going to go out and wrestle our hardest and learn – those are our learning tools – and then when we get to the postseason, we're done learning. Now we're wrestling." However, Hewig said that having so many young, talented wrestlers will help the Chargers overcome any injuries that may occur during the season. "We're going to have injuries; that's just the deal with wrestling," Hewig said. "So it's good to be able to have those tough youth to be able to fill in those positions and be able to get our team wins." "The thing about wrestling is you never know," Hewig added. "One injury can topple a lineup; it can really hurt a lineup, having to fit people in. I feel like we should have a competitive year. I feel like we should definitely be better than we were last year. We just have to stay mentally tough. I pride my teams on being mentally tough." I've been blessed with having a lot of them in swimming," McKinney added. "I push them as hard as I can and they accept it and they do everything I ask them to do. So, as far as re-building, I don't really see it that way. I think it's another opportunity, another hurdle, and I think we're going to get over it and it's going to be a good year for us." McKinney said that he expected Heritage Hills to be among the Chargers' toughest competitors this year. "They're always right there with us," McKinney said. "Southridge is another team that's got some really good, young talented swimmers again this year." "We've got a really tough conference in swimming," McKinney added. "We don't have the big teams but we have a lot of good talent. I can't really say that we're going to go out and just beat everybody because I know they're going to be out for us. Every team's got really good individuals." The Chargers open the 2012-13 season on Monday, Dec. 2, when they host Heritage Hills for a co-ed meet. "All we can do is get in the water and try our best and try to do what we can." "At the end of the year, at PAC, I would like to have all of my swimmers in the top six," McKinney added. "And I've got a lot of girls who I think can do that." McKinney said that he expected the senior leadership of Kendall Dudenhoeffer, Lauren Luff and Kylee Claridge – which was missing last season – to push the team to succeed. "It makes a difference for them and it makes a difference for the girls underneath them," McKinney said. "Having Maya Frederick and my other freshmen, Sylvia Henson and Kaitlyn Foster, watching my seniors get after it and go through practice as hard as they can – because they know this is their last hurrah – they work harder with them." The Lady Chargers, who began practicing Nov. 4, opened the season on Monday, Nov. 25, with a home meet against Evansville Central and Evansville Bosse. "The girls are looking forward to meets," McKinney said. "We're putting in a lot of hard work now, and it's kind of grueling, every night, putting in a bunch of yardage. The meets start and that's when we start having fun and seeing where we're at." "I think we'll have a good season," McKinney added. "It's safe to bet that we will be .500 or better on the season, and I'd like to be in the top three at the PAC and go from there." Rehab is work. But it can also be fun. Gourmet dining. Fine linens. Personal concierge service. This is rehab? Our Home Again rehabilitation service will pamper you while you undergo physical, occupational or speech therapy. To find out how we can help you or someone you love transition smoothly back home after an injury, illness or surgery, call us to schedule a personal tour. HOME OF PIKE CO. 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