The Warren County girls wrestling team is very excited to begin its season under head coach Glenn Baldensperger.

Boasting 19 high schoolers and 10 middle schoolers, the program is making incredible strides from last year’s seventh- through 12th-grade total of 13 girls. Although taking over the girls team is a new endeavor for Baldensperger, he is no stranger to the mat as he enters his 34th year of coaching.

Why the huge improvement?

“We officially sanctioned the program, and did a heck of an amount of recruiting. We would go to the other schools during their lunch period and recruit the girls to go out for the team,” Baldensperger said. “The countywide co-op certainly helped, and we also had ample time to recruit with Koltyn (Eason) taking over the boys program.”

Assisted by Paul Waite, Steve Siliano, Keith Kophazy and Jimmy Wiles, they ” ….all bring different strengths to the program,” Baldensperger said.

Baldensperger is very much looking forward to this season as he is starting with a ” … clean slate.”

“This is the first time we have had a head coach for the girls and have all the girls (in the county) together,” he said. “The girls’ response is very exciting, and the staff has gelled together very well. We need to get them to buy into the idea that we are a team, and a melting pot of all four schools. We need to operate as a team. If we do this, we aim to be in the top three of all the tournaments we go to.”

Baldensperger is also anticipating strong season performances from senior Jenna Kophazy, a seventh-grade state champion who has wrestled with the program since its start. Also looking to make an impact are Abbie Darr, Kaelon Connolly, Madisyn Flores, Bryn Lindell, Nakita Nelson and Emily Wiles.

Winning matches is obviously important, but Baldensperger’s philosophies go beyond the mat.

“Every day we want to get mentally, physically and technically better. Just like in life, they need to know how to deal with stress and competition,” he said. “When the season is done, I want the girls to believe they gave their best efforts- that they improved from the beginning of the year to the end, and they gave us what they had to give.”