Wrestling team to head to Sidney to open season

The Glasgow wrestling team gets its season started this weekend when the Scotties head out to the Sidney Invitational.

The Scotties are looking to win the meet after finishing second in last year's event, co-head coach Brady Flaten said.

The team will be facing some tough competition at the meet. Sidney looks to be the team to beat this year. The Eagles have nearly 30 kids, making them a favorite just by sheer numbers. Williston, N.D. and Forsyth will also pose the Scotties a threat.

“We're definitely going to be favored in a lot of weights,” Flaten said. “Just numbers-wise we're only going to be wrestling 11 in the varsity tournament and maybe two or three of those might not be scoring because they're backups. So, we're going to be severely undermanned to start out.”

The Scotties may change their lineup after Friday's round robin session to accommodate their lineup for Saturday's tournament.

“Our goal is to go down to win it,” Flaten said. “We plan on making a statement early.”

Most of all, this weekend marks the first time the Scotties will be wrestling someone besides themselves this season.

“It's been two weeks now we've been beating up on each other,” Flaten said. “They're definitely ready to get some fresh blood and compete against other schools. There's nothing like that first tournament to get you going for the year.”

The team seems to be getting into form at the right time, with coaches calling the last few days the best practices of the year.

"We're starting to peak at the right time,” Flaten said. “We've had a couple of good practices. (Monday) was one of the best practices we've had all year. We saw some really good stuff. So we're looking forward to get out on the mat and competing against other teams.”

After the Sidney Invitational this weekend, the Scotties will host their first meet of the season with the Glasgow Invitational set for Dec. 12.