Bullies on the mat, gentleman off the mat

The Saratoga Panther wrestling team started the 2023 season with new a coaching staff who are incredibly excited about the upcoming season. Head Coach Rusty Arnold brings a wealth of experience, having helmed the Saratoga USA wrestling club for the past 14 years. Arnold is also a Saratoga High School graduate and won a state championship for the team his senior year. His assistant, Thomas Ingraham, is also a Saratoga graduate and wrestling state champion. Ingraham wrestled after high school for the University of Jamestown in North Dakota.

The driving theme for every match this year is to score points and wrestle for all six minutes. The coaches are asking the boys for no quick pins. In Arnold’s words, he wants the boys to ‘be a mat bully, but be a gentleman off the mat. Give ‘em everything you got on the mat every single time!’ When asked if he thought that might paint a target on their back, he stated, ‘Good! Make it orange. Make it so everyone can see it!’

Saratoga has 13 athletes on the roster this year, including one from Encampment. The team has two returning state placers from 2022 and looks to improve upon last year’s outing. Coach Arnold shared that he hopes to ‘create good kids, good athletes, and good people.’ He stresses the work ethic on and off the mat, and wants the team to have a winning mindset and ‘build their wrestling character.’

The philosophy paid off the first weekend of the wrestling season. The Panthers traveled to Lusk last Friday for the Tiger Invitational where Saratoga scored the most match points for the tournament out of all the teams. The efforts of the Panther wrestlers earned them the 3^rd place team trophy. There were three individual champions on the squad, with a bevy of others placing in the consolation rounds. Coach Arnold was pleased with the outcome of the first tournament and he hopes the team will continue its initial success. Arnold told the team he wants them to ‘sprint the mile’ all season long. The results from the first weekend would indicate that the Panthers have a great start in that race.