By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
There are few constants in life, but one nearly constant occurrence is the Oxford Wildcat wrestling program claiming their league championship.
On February 24, the program captured their second-straight Oakland Activities Association (OAA) Red Division title. Dating to 2007, when the school resided in the Flint Metro League (FML), Oxford has won their league every season except for 2019, meaning 2021 is their 14th league championship in a 15-year span.
With victories over the Algonac Muskrats, Anchor Bay Tars, and Lamphere Rams on March 4, the Wildcats improved to 16-1 and stood at No. 8 in Michigan Grappler’s Division I state rankings.
“I do know our guys are getting better, and probably more important than anything, they’re buying into the program and what the program is trying to teach them,” fourth-year head coach Ross Wingert said. “This is probably the best team since I’ve been here, just top-to-bottom, work ethic, camaraderie. Our culture is very, very high-level right now, through and through with our room, everybody has different skill sets and different levels, but they’re all working as hard as they can, and it’s showing, it’s impressive, we’re really excited about.”
Wingert shared a few of his team’s top performers.
“It really has been a group effort, but there’s no doubt Jack Smith is the heart and soul of our team and what we epitomize,” he began. “As a junior, he’s really taken that role, leading by example, for us. Jack, being our captain, he’s that guy, but there’s so many guys right there. Tate Myre, Ty Myre, Jack Wandrie, Liam Hamilton’s been competing and performing well in the room, Zach Call’s been working very hard, I could go through the team, they’ve been working very hard.”
On February 27, Oxford took care of business at the Ian Smith Gymnasium, sweeping a quad with the Croswell-Lexington Pioneers, New Boston Huron Chiefs, and Walled Lake Northern Knights.
In addition to the 3-0 mark the program posted, this date was significant because it served as Senior Appreciation Day, where the six members of the 2021 class – Logan Edwards, Hamilton, Ty Myre, Isaac Tabert, Jack Thompson, and Wandrie – were spotlighted one at a time in front of the crowd with their parents or grandparents, who have sacrificed and devoted their time to help their sons and grandsons reach this point in life.
The 2021 class also holds the special distinction of being the first group of young men to complete all four years in the program with Wingert as their head coach.
“They were those guys that, when I first got to the program, I was picking up at six in the morning because they couldn’t drive,” Wingert recalled regarding his seniors. “So, we’ve got a lot of memories with these guys and there’s been plenty of turbulence, you know? Just like any other program, where you have your ups and downs in this sport. One of the things we always preach is that too many people, they judge themselves off wins and losses, and what they don’t realize is wins and losses are just validation for the work you’re doing or not doing, which there’s a very big difference.”
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has made this wrestling season unlike any previous, but Oxford High School’s administration and medical training staff, as well as the coaching staff have done an excellent job of helping the team navigate the new protocols and continue to reach their maximum potential on the mat.
“They come in right now and they have to get their temperature taken and then, they fill out, we called it ‘HQ,’ it’s a little questionnaire on their phone,” Wingert said. “For the precautionary, they’re going to COVID tests right now, so that, in case we do have a positive, there’s not going to be a contact through practice today. It’s a whole another level of precautionary measures we’ve never had to deal with before. Luckily, we have a really great training staff. Our training staff has been awesome with us in getting these things accomplished and helping us in any way they can, along with our administration, they’ve been extremely supportive.
“Our (coaching) staff this year is ridiculous, better than it’s probably ever been in the likes of alumni, in Rocco Borg, in Collin Campbell. We regularly have eight coaches in practices, which, most programs are fortunate to have three. So, for us to have eight, and then, weekends and meets, we’ve got nine-to-ten showing up, we’ve got different coaches that are running Sunday, weekend stuff for us.”
Traveling to Roosevelt (Wyandotte) High School on March 6, Oxford improved their record to 22-1 by defeating the Jefferson Bears, Roosevelt, and the Tecumseh Indians.
Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) District action is set to begin at Lake Orion High School next Wednesday, March 17, where the Wildcats will be joined by the Dragons and Romeo Bulldogs.