The 2023 Wrestling season is on the horizon with many people in preparation at Great Bend High School. With GBHS’s past Coach, Nathan Broeckelman having left last year when offered a job coaching at Barton Community College, it leaves many of us wondering how this season will go with new head Coach Gannon Reichert.

Trevin Maciel and Alyssa Pio, both sophomores, agreed that the hardest part about preparing for wrestling is cutting weight to get into the weight class that they are willing to compete in. 

Maciel wrestled on varsity during his freshman season and ended with a record of seven wins and 12 losses while wrestling 20 pounds underweight. When he was asked about the new coach and how he thinks the season will go with him he stated, “I think it will go pretty good I mean I’ve heard good things about him I’m just hoping he lives up to what people say.” 

He was asked how he plans on doing better or what he is going to do to improve to which he responded with “I’ve just gotten a lot stronger, technique wise, mental wise, and strength wise so I’m hoping that will kind of just help me out more”. He also plans to prevent doing so many headlocks to improve. 

Pio wrestled on the Junior Varsity team her freshman season and ended with a record of six wins and 12 losses. When she was asked about how she thinks the season will go with the new coach she responded with “I think it will go well but I kind of miss Broeckelman and Kristy.” Pio stated that she plans on doing better this season “I have just built up more muscle and endurance so I don’t think I will have an asthma attack on the mat.” 

Natalee Daniels, who was a state qualifier in her freshman season, says that the hardest part about preparing for wrestling season is “cutting out all the sugars and sweets that I was used to eating.”

She was asked about the new coach and how she feels it will affect the season to which she responded, “I think it will be different and definitely an adjustment but overall I think that if you’re someone who is cooperative and has a positive outlook on things then it’ll be perfectly fine.”

Daniels is very open to improvement and now knows what not to do. So now, this season, she can improve and she stated, “I’m gonna stop being so afraid and I’m gonna work on my ability to be okay with losing because I’m not very good at that. I’d also like to get better when I’m on the bottom.”

With wrestling season right around the corner, we wish everyone a great season and good luck to head coach Gannon Reichert.