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By Dave Melton
Photo: Nebraska Athletics
 
Nebraska redshirt sophomore Silas Allred was certainly never lacking for confidence after a high school career that included a pair of state titles at Shenandoah before graduating in 2020.
 
But when the coaches at Nebraska told the 197-pounder what he was capable of as a college wrestler, it sent his belief in his own abilities to new heights.
 
“When you have people who you really respect telling you that the sky’s the limit, you have no choice but to believe it,” he said. “I’d be foolish not to believe it. When your coaching staff tells you that you can be great and you buy into it, good things happen.”
 
One of those “good things” happened Sunday night at the University of Michigan, when Allred beat Penn State’s Max Dean 6-3 in the championship round, crowning Allred as a Big Ten champion.
 
Allred’s record now stands at 26-5 this season, heading into the NCAA Wrestling Championships set for St. Patrick Day’s weekend in Tulsa.
 
Allred’s road from Shenandoah to this Big Ten title for Allred included a slew of twists and turns caused by the pandemic, which limited the number of matches he wrestled during the 2020-21 season. Still, Allred immediately raised eyebrows when he arrived in Nebraska’s wrestling room that fall — especially the ones belonging to Eric Schultz, who was a Big Ten runner-up last year.
 
“The first time we wrestled at a practice, he threw me to my back and pinned me,” Schultz said of Allred. “I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’”
 
The only other person who may not have been surprised by Allred’s early displays for Nebraska was head coach Mark Manning.
 
“When we got him, I knew he was special,” Manning said. “He didn’t get many matches in but some of that adversity drove him to be better and better.”
 
Allred took a redshirt last season before hitting the mats heavy this season. While he maintained that the mental side of the sport — such as the confidence he gained from conversations with his coaches — has been paramount to success, there are plenty of wrestling lessons he’s conquered along the way to his conference title.
 
“It’s hard to put into words because so much of wrestling is mental preparation,” he said. “Hand fighting has been a huge factor for me, just shooting only when I win my ties and not taking poor shots. If you take poor shots against big 197-pounders, they’re going to punish you for it. Cleaning things up and only taking good, solid attacks has made a world of difference.”
 
Schultz couldn’t stop raving about how much Allred had improved at wrestling on top.
 
“It’s gotten a lot better from that first year on campus,” he said. “He’s probably one of the best riders in his weight class in the whole country.”
 
Combining those physical traits with a strong mindset is what led Allred to the Big Ten title and has him lined up for more success down the road, as Manning explained.
 
“He knew he could be where he finished (on Sunday),” Manning said. “We have to reinvent that again in two weeks, but he really enjoyed this moment because he did a super job. Seeing his development this year, starting back in November all the way until now: he’s made a jump of two or three levels. Now it’s going to take a different mindset and maturity, but he’s very mature for his age and that helps a lot.”
 
Allred was also looking in the direction of that upcoming NCAA tournament, hoping to have similar success on that even bigger stage. But he still took time to savor the victory he won last weekend, posing for countless photos with friends and family between an even longer string of congratulatory hugs and handshakes.
 
“It’s not just a memory for me but for all of them,” Allred said, pointing in the direction of the red-clad section of fans in his corner. “They’re all a part of this. They’ve all — in some way, shape or form — played a part in my development as a wrestler and to share this moment with them is just awesome.”
 
Then, a few breaths later, Allred looked ahead.
 
“Being a Big Ten champ is awesome but it’s not the goal,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be the best wrestler I can possibly be. Whether it’s a national champion or Olympic champion or world champion, whatever it may be, I want to be the best that I can be.”
 

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
David Wolf was surprised to learn a few years back that Switzerland County High School even had a wrestling program. Now, in addition to being the Chief of Police in Vevay, the county seat, he’s also the wrestling coach.
 
His goal with both jobs is to make a difference in his community. He’s certainly doing just that.
 
Before Wolf, the Pacers had never had a single wrestling sectional champion. This year the team had three. Two of those wrestlers went on to win the school’s first regional championships. Wolf is hoping the success keeps coming.
 
“It feels awesome to see what these guys are accomplishing,” Wolf said. “I don’t do this to praise myself. I do it for the kids. To see them reach their goal is amazing. We sent six kids to regional this year. We had never had more than two go before. It’s just awesome.”
 
Wolf’s strategy has been simple. Make the team a family. He coached his own twin sons, who went on to be the first two Pacer wrestlers to ever qualify for semistate. Now three of the four coaches on the staff have kids that wrestle on the team.
 
“Our number one thing is that we want to create that family culture,” Wolf said. “We want to be positive figures to the team. I want to be a positive influence and we want to look out for each other.”
 
This season the Pacers have four wrestlers qualify for the Evansville semistate. Freshman Peyton Richards goes in as a regional champ at 120 pounds.
 
Peyton’s mental mindset is on a whole new level,” Wolf said. “His drive, his will to work, it’s hard to match. I haven’t seen anyone that mentally prepares the way he does. He wakes up at 5:30 every morning and practices in his basement. He leads by example.”
 
Sophomore Gabe Rose won regional at 138 pounds.
 
“Game is a little bulldog,” Wolf said. “He is mentally prepared. He is physically prepared. The kid doesn’t like losing and it drives him to do better. He lost to a kid earlier in the season and since then they have wrestled two more times and Gabe won in the first period. He is on a mission.”
 
Freshman Ethan Rose (Gabe’s brother) finished second in regional to qualify for semistate.
 
“Ethan is an animal,” Wolf said. “If he ever makes it to 106 pounds he can be a state contender. He walks around at about 96 pounds and eats everything he wants. He has to drink two bottles of water to qualify. He’s outsized, bad, but he’s a fighter.”
 
Sophomore Dakota Fields placed third at 113 pounds in the Jeffersonville regional.
 
“Dakota quit wrestling for a few years and just came back this year,” Wolf said. “He didn’t wrestle as a freshman. He came back and has been a huge asset to this team. He’s a hard worker and he’s an all-around great kid.”
 
Part of the reason for the Pacers’ success is the youth program in the area.
 
“We are finally getting kids in high school that have come up through our youth programs,” Wolf said. “My assistant coaches started the youth programs and it has helped us tremendously.”
 
The Pacers are a very young team and Wolf has hopes that in the next couple of years the team can qualify for 1A Team State.
 
“We don’t lose anybody after this year,” Wolf said. “We are a freshman and sophomore led team.”
 
The team’s success has not gone unnoticed in the community.
 
“With this success the recognition is really growing,” Wolf said. “People keep coming up to me in town and they talk about how awesome our team is doing. The community is growing and recognizing our success. More and more people are coming to our home meets.”
 
Before this year, Switzerland County had never had a winning season in wrestling. They finished this season with a dual meet record of 24-6.
 
As the Chief of Police, Wolf deals with a lot of problems on a daily basis. In the short time it took to interview for this article multiple people in the community came up asking for his help with things related to his job as a policeman. He tries to handle each issue in a positive manner and be a good influence on the community, just like he does with his team. He learned from the former police chief, James Richards. Richards was the Chief of Police for 16 years. Now he’s an assistant wrestling coach for Wolf.
 
“We want to be positive figures to these kids,” Wolf said. “I’m excited for these guys. I’m excited for the future of the program. My coaches invest 100 percent in this program. We really think we are going to turn some heads in the next few years.”

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
The Franklin Central wrestling team needed more than a coach. They needed someone to share the enormous burden of grief, someone to cry to, and someone to help them cope with pain no high school kid should ever have to endure. As it turned out, coach Kevin Moore needed the team just as much as they needed him.
 
“It’s almost like I was meant to come here,” Moore said. 
 
This is Moore’s fifth season at the helm of the Flashes. There have been five deaths in the wrestling family during that span – a statistic that nobody wants to keep.
 
“We have literally lost a person every year I’ve been here,” Moore said.
 
Senior Johnny Weisheit’s mother was murdered. Sophomore Gauge Clark’s sister was murdered. Former semistate qualifier Charlie Harp committed suicide in 2018 and just this November senior Ayden Harper died. Harper was one of the team captains and always led the warmups before matches.
 
While Moore has tried to be there for the wrestlers during their grieving, he faced tragedy of his own. His wife, Mariah, was hit and killed by an impaired driver.
 
“If it wasn’t for this community, I would have left a long time ago,” Moore said. “I’ve never seen people come together like they have here. When my wife passed, I didn’t have to do laundry, cook, or even pay for the funeral. The community did that for me. It was the same with Ayden – they paid for his funeral as well. Everyone is checking in on me all the time – and I know people are checking in with Ayden’s family and the other guys on this team as well.”
 
In the midst of tragedy, the team has found solace on the wrestling mat. It’s their escape from reality, if only for a few hours a day.
 
“Wrestling is tough,” Moore said. “It’s hard. It’s painful. But it gives you something you can control. There are a lot of things happening to these guys that they can’t control – but they can control what happens on the mat. Losing these people that we have lost, it completely sucks. But you can’t live life with those emotions. You have to find a way to move on.”
 
Each wrestler on the Franklin Central roster is dealing with pain. The tragic journey has made them closer than brothers.
 
“My teammates, they are my brothers,” junior Aataeveon Jordan said. “We aren’t blood, but we are. We have each other’s back. You mess with one of us, the rest of the lineup has their back even if we’re in the wrong.”
 
And, the pillar of the team, is coach Moore. He’s their rock – a responsibility he believes is one he must shoulder.
 
“There are certain people that are meant to handle these types of situations,” Moore said. “There are people that are built for it. Unfortunately, I’ve lost my wife and my kids lost their mother. In an unfortunate circumstance you have to lead by example. A lot of these young men don’t know that it’s OK to cry. They don’t’ know it’s OK to show that they are hurt. It’s OK to show emotion.
 
“I would never want to say I’m like a father-figure – but we just have a different kind of bond going through all of this. To be effective as a coach, at times I have to be like their dad and at times I have to be like an older brother.
 
When Mariah was in the hospital, the team was there with the coach almost daily. He had been their rock through their turmoil and then it was their turn to be his.
 
“They really helped me get through it,” Moore said.
 
The Flashes are hoping to turn their pain into success on the mat. The goal is to win the school’s first wrestling sectional since 1995. For some of the wrestlers, like Jordan, the individual goal is a state title.
 
“My goal is to get that blue ring,” he said. “That blue ring has been calling my name.”
 
Jordan is one of three ranked wrestlers on the Franklin Central team. Jordan is ranked No. 15 at 195 pounds. Last season he placed 8th at 220. Clark is currently ranked No. 17 at 106 pounds and senior Cayden Shelton is No. 17 at 138.
 
“We also have Ashton Brandon, who didn’t have a chance to finish the season last year, but I think he will surprise a lot of people,” Moore said. “He’s our 132-pound senior. He’s a hands-on, in your face, gritty wrestler. He puts his hands on you for six minutes and he doesn’t wear down. He’s also a big-time leader.”
 
Moore has helped build the Franklin Central program from when he started.
 
“There were 13 kids in the room when I started,” he said. “I spent all pre-season recruiting, and that’s what we got. Now we have a middle school room of about 40-50 kids and the high school team started out with about 70. I’m impressed with the culture shift I have seen. I think what these kids have gone through, and persevered is unique and amazing.”
 
The Flashes only were able to send a few wrestlers to the Marion County tournament because of illness. But, when the team is at full strength, Moore has high hopes. Win or lose, he’s in their corner and they are in his. They’ve been in the valley for a while, and now they are ready to climb out.
 
“Coach Moore has really been our shoulder to cry on, and we are his,” Jordan said. “I think the one thing we can all take from this is that, on this team, ain’t nobody ever alone. We all have each other.”