With the fall sports seasons coming to an end, winter athletics are beginning to take a stride. Leading the start of winter sports, the Varsity Boys Wrestling team is coming off a good season last year with a PLAC victory. They are looking for leadership from seniors Jonny Shellenberger and Ryley Butler.
“Jonny is a guy that is going to come into the wrestling room ready to work, and will always try to lead by example. Charlie Higgins is a guy that is ready to step into that leadership role. He showed up to every open mat during the summer, and he is one of those guys that wants to help the program grow and get better,” said Wrestling Coach JT Zapien.
The Rams graduated two seniors last year and are looking forward to competing for the PLAC again and as a team in Sectionals.
The Lady Rams started their first official practice on Monday, October 21. The Lady Rams graduated two seniors last year, but have brought up many new seniors to lead the team.
Seniors for this season include Avery Crews, Jericho Hopper, Jae Walker, and Lilly Hall. Coach Crews will be alongside Coach Lora Laswell as Varsity assistant, and JV Coach Jeremy Payton. The Lady Rams have played two games (as of Press time) and currently have a record of 0-2. Next, they face the Brownstown Braves at home starting at 6 p.m.
The Varsity Boy’s Basketball team is coming off of a winning summer, as they only lost three games total. The Rams’ record last year was 18-6, and they were defeated in the first round of Sectionals. Senior Fletcher Cole was the leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points per game.
After the loss of four seniors last year, the Rams will seek leadership this year from current seniors Fletcher Cole, Hayden Bostock, Lydon Poe, and Jaxson Reynolds. Head Coach Dusty Cole is also looking forward to leadership from juniors Trey Minton, Chad Sullivan, and Cooper Spires.
“We feel like leadership should be a real strength of this team. Many guys could and should be good leaders for us. Leadership is an interesting topic and trait to explore. It certainly seems like the best teams we have had here at Paoli are player-led teams,” said Coach Cole.
Alongside Cole will be Varsity Assistant Coach Jerod Speer, Junior Varsity Coach Aaron Key, C-team Coach Davis Minton as well as Scott Blankenbaker and former Rams Head Coach Mike Brown.
“Conversations over the past few years finally led to some discussions of Coach Brown helping out here at Paoli. There aren’t many things that Coach Brown hasn’t seen or experienced over the years, and his expertise and experience will be very valuable for us here at Paoli. He is one of the best basketball minds I know and basketball is in his DNA,” said Cole.
The Rams expect to have around 25 to 30 kids trying out this year. The Rams will travel to Clarksville for their first scrimmage of the year on Saturday, November 23, and will host Henryville on Friday, December 6 for their first regular season game.