Groton wrestling finding success under new coach

Groton’s Donovan Mitchell pins Whitney Point’s Zach McCall to the mat during a home meet on Dec. 7. Mitchell is one of only four wrestlers on the team under first-year head coach Ben Nelson. Photo by Adrian Mitchell, Old Stage Photo

A lot can change in a year, and that’s certainly the case for the Groton wrestling program.

Last season, the Indians put on a strong campaign, finishing second in the IAC Division II with a 9-5 record in dual meets. In the postseason, Groton placed fifth at the IAC Championships and sixth at the Section IV Division II Championships while sending two wrestlers to states.

It’s been much more of a struggle this time around with a depleted roster. The Indians went from 12 wrestlers to just four, meaning that they’ve lost most of their dual meets due to the sheer lack of numbers. They also have a new head coach in Ben Nelson, who takes over from Greg Rotunda. Despite the 1-4 dual meet record, Nelson has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“Any time we send our wrestlers out, we get quality, quality wrestling, and we usually get individual wins for the guys,” Nelson said. “I have been pretty blessed. We got a lot of talent there. You see them out on the mat, and you usually get pretty good results.”

That talent was certainly on display at the IAC Championships on Jan. 21 in Waverly. While the Indians finished in eighth place, two of their wrestlers won individual titles. Aidan Shufelt captured the 110 weight class title, and Isaac Allen was victorious at the 172 weight class.

Donovan Mitchell, who was an IAC champion at the 215 weight class last season, fell in the final to Waverly’s Ty Beeman this time around. He’s still put up some phenomenal performances this season, including being named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 215 weight class during the Ross Kordell Rotary Tournament.

“Donovan puts an awful lot of effort into knowing every aspect that he can,” Nelson said. “He’s a well-learned individual. Whether it’s in school or in sports, he takes the time to learn all of it. He is quite an amazing talent.”

Mitchell’s fellow senior Isaac Allen breezed through his way to an IAC title with a pair of pins over Marathon’s Julian Spizzirri in the semifinal after 94 seconds and Newark Valley’s Peter Basti in the final. Nelson believes there’s plenty of hidden talent in Allen that’s certainly being put on display this season.

“Just looking at him, you wouldn’t think he’s as strong as he is,” Nelson said. “He is incredibly strong… He’s been wrestling since he was little, and I know his dad was an exceptional wrestler. He’s got an awful lot of characteristics there that make him a powerhouse. He started off the season a little rough. He had a couple of losses to the same person [Sidney’s Trevor Harrington], but if it comes down to it, he’s ready to take him on again.”

Aidan Shufelt was the other IAC champion for Groton. The junior first pinned Moravia’s Jakob Volles after just 26 seconds, then beat Spencer-Van Etten/Candor’s Rodney Vaow on a technical fall, and wrapped up the title by defeating Odessa-Montour’s Lucas Hoffman in a 5-0 decision.

“Over the last couple of weeks, it’s really clicked with him,” Nelson said. “He’s doing everything extremely smooth, extremely crisp. He’s not forcing bad situations. It’s looking really good for him.”

Rounding off the four-man team is Josh Batzer. The freshman has had an expectedly tough start and lost both of his matches at IACs. But Nelson is pleased with the amount of improvement Batzer has shown over this campaign.

“Josh has got the typical freshman wrestler stigma,” Nelson said. “When I was a freshman, I got whooped on pretty good, and Josh has gotten whooped on pretty good. He has progressed, for sure. Maybe not as much as he should, but he has progressed. He’s able to last in matches, and he’s learning some different techniques that could prove good for us down the road, as long as he wants to stay with it.”

Nelson is more than familiar with Groton, as he played football and wrestled for the Indians over 20 years ago. In the cases of Mitchell and Allen, both of them have excelled on the gridiron and on the mat, and there are plenty of similarities between the two sports.

“It’s been said for a very long time [that] football and wrestling go hand in hand,” Nelson said. “One helps the other. Your strength in training and your agility in wrestling helps you be a better football player, and the skills that you bring to football also translate to making you a good wrestler.”

It has been a season filled with challenges for Nelson in his first year leading the program, but the Indians will look to continue their postseason success into sectional qualifying, which begins Feb. 4 in Sidney.