Bulldogs girls wrestling builds team for upcoming season

The Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs girls wrestling team is preparing for the upcoming season. Head coach Brittany Stevens said that the Bulldogs are focusing on building the team from the ground up this year.

“We are looking to go out and do our best, learn the sport, and win some matches,” Stevens said. 

Stevens said that she had some of the wrestlers during her time as the middle school wrestling coach and that when Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls wrestling was shared with West Fork that she volunteered there as well. So while it is her first year as the high school head coach that some of the wrestlers are used to her as a coach.

When it comes to building the team, Stevens said that the team’s motto is building our legacy one match at a time.

“So we have been focusing on the fundamental skills,” Stevens said. “We build off of those and we are building a team culture. Wrestling is an individual sport but there is a team aspect to it as well. So we have been working on a lot of things.”

Heading into their first meet, Stevens said one thing she was looking for was the team to come out aggressive.

“I am looking for takedowns and I want us to be aggressive on our feet,” Stevens said. “With the new rule change, takedowns are worth three points. So I am excited to see how we come out and what we are ready to do.  The Bulldogs first meet was on Nov. 18. at Webster City. 

As the season goes on and the team reaches the midway points, Stevens said that one thing she would like to see is the Bulldogs compete against the other teams in the area and how full the other teams are as the Bulldogs have 10 wrestlers this year.

“I am hoping to get a lot of matches for the girls,” Stevens said. “We’ve got some girls with some big goals, We’ve got girls that are going to try for the conference title for the first time. We’ve got girls that want to make it to state. We also have girls who want to go out and be a part of building something and have a good time doing it.”

Out of the 10 wrestlers on the team, eight of them are underclassmen. Stevens said that she thinks those underclassmen are ready to compete at the varsity level.

“Our girls are not shy when it comes to the competition and that they are up to the challenge,” Stevens said. “Most of our underclassmen, even though we are young, they have been wrestling for a couple of years now. So it will be different but I think they are going to be ready for it.”

The team’s next meet is on the road on Nov. 23. at Emmetsburg High School at 10 a.m.