Blanchester, under the guidance of SBAAC National Division coach of the year Ryan Shafer, won its third straight National Division crown, finishing behind American Division teams Wilmington, Clinton-Massie and Western Brown in the tournament standings.
In the combined American and National Division tournament, Colt Conover was the Wildcats only league champion.
In fact, Conover was the lone National Division wrestler to win an SBAAC weight class in the league tournament, which combines wrestlers from both divisions in one bracket per weight class.
Shafer has coached BHS three season and his staff this year includes Andy Musselman and Jon Sears.
There are seven returning starters for the Wildcats. Shafer said newcomers Michael Mulvihill, Zach Musselman, Caleb Sears and Jagger Huston are likely to contribute for the Wildcats. In fact, Shafer said there are “a lot of outstanding underclassmen to watch for in the years ahead.”
The BHS coach said he likes his team’s “never give up attitude no matter what the score is” but they’ll need to improve their technique from the bottom position.
In a bid for a fourth straight National Division title, Shafer admits health will be key. If Blanchester can fill a complete lineup, he likes his team’s chance of capturing that fourth straight title.
