The Shawnee High School wrestling team has started each of the last two seasons on the right foot. The hope is to keep that momentum rolling into this season.
The Renegades will try to follow up last year’s banner season with another one and that begins with the annual Pine Barrens Tournament. The tournament is an event Shawnee High School hosts each season to kick off its wrestling season. After not winning its own tournament for 11 years, Shawnee made it two in a row last year by capturing the Pine Barrens Tournament championship in its own gym. Last season, they sent 10 wrestlers to the final round, captured six weights and bested runner-up Haddon Township High School by 32 points.
“We have taken some lumps here, but you know, it’s a slow but sure process. Maybe it is not even baby steps, maybe crawling,” head coach Tom Mann said. “But I knew with the guys we had here last year and the commitment they made to doing all the right things in the offseason, we had a chance to do some better things.”
Despite plenty of turnover from graduation, the outlook for the Renegades is positive, as they return five 20-match winners to the lineup, including 30-match winners Alex Foley and Brennan Humphrey. For Mann, his hope is that winning seasons lead to more winning in the future.
“The success of the Renegades is not a trend, but an effect; the cause is a trend that’s going on behind it,” Mann said. “It’s been exciting to see the change in mentality and the changes in approach that have happened with these guys. But that’s where it starts, with them. They’re the ones who bought into what we’ve been telling them and what they need to do in the offseason. It’s all their hard work and all their effort that’s really gone into the transformation.”
Any conversation with Mann about the team’s recent success is quickly deflected onto his wrestlers and staff.
“All the credit in the world should go to those guys, for making a commitment and doing all the things they should be doing in the offseason to get themselves ready,” Mann said.
Looking ahead to this season, Mann feels the division and conference are up for grabs. A third consecutive victory in the Pine Barrens Tournament would provide a statement to Shawnee’s rivals.
“I really think this is going to be pretty much an open field this year. There are a few teams that have a shot at being competitive this season,” Mann said. “Now, hopefully, the last two seasons will be a confidence booster for our guys. They should feel good about themselves. But, hopefully, they’ll also realize, hey, we win a tournament and some guys are going to feel differently about us.”
Mann said the team cannot take any opponents lightly as the Renegades will not sneak up on anyone.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for that kind of situation. I think we all have high expectations; it’s just a matter of getting there,” Mann said. “Putting ourselves in the right positions, and then trying to capitalize on an opportunity if we get it.”
