(Harlan, IA)- New year, same team as the Harlan Cyclones wrestling squad returns from break in the new year with high hopes to reach a peak heading to the postseason with first-year head coach Adam Bendorf. According to TrackWrestling, the team is currently 3-2 in duals this season but has some great showings at tournaments so far this year with lots of possible state qualifiers. Coach Bendorf reflects on the first half of the season saying he is proud of his guys and how they have competed but knows they haven’t hit that peak he is looking for later in the season quite yet.
Kicking it into gear means more conditioning and more early morning practices to make sure his athletes are in top shape for when they are getting ready for that postseason run. Over break Coach Bendorf is also changing his coaching tactics slightly from the first half of the year. Where originally the wrestlers were focusing on fundamentals and how to do something, they are now transitioning to both how and WHY when it comes to those fundamentals. The goal now becomes implementing strategy into the match and what your opponent might do in different scenarios. The mental side of wrestling also becomes a focus for this postseason peak the Cyclones are looking for.
There will be plenty of wrestlers to watch out for in the second half of the season with a strong group of juniors and seniors including three state qualifiers from the 2022-23 season in juniors Jesse Jens, Spencer Fink, and Brody McKinely. Harlan wrestling returns to the mat on January 4th as a part of a triangular dual featuring the Cyclones, the Atlantic Trojans, and the Denison-Schleswig Monarchs starting at 5:30 pm.