It has been a slow start for the Knoxville Wrestling Squad on and off the mat this season. The young Panthers are currently 0-2 in dual meets and had to pause activities for COVID-19 concerns that wiped out three events on the schedule that would have been valuable experience for Knoxville. Coach Doug Hatch does see progress with his guys. He tells KNIA/KRLS Sports Luke Spaur has made a lot of progress on the mental part of wrestling and points to a match early on that might have gone a different way last year.

Hatch:
“Last year in a really tough match he may have not been able to recover. The points were not going his way, he would score and go out of bounds or the period came to an end and the referee didn’t see it that way, but in the third period he came back and dominated his guy. He’s wrestling way smarter and better than he was last year.”

Currently Spaur is 4-1 on the season wrestling in the 132 pound weight class. The next meet for the Panthers is scheduled to be January 7th with a South Central Conference Quad at home against Albia, Chariton, and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.