Aledo opens season with new coach

Ben Shaw's career as head wrestling coach at Aledo High School is underway.

The season began recently with the Ladycats and Bearcats wrestling in the Talon Tournament hosted by Haslet Eaton High School.

Shaw came to Aledo after being the head coach at Hurst L.D. Bell High School. In two years he coached 17 regional qualifiers and one state qualifier.

With Aledo, Shaw's program returns seven varsity wrestlers, four girls and three boys. They are, with their respective weight classes and last season's highlights:

Boys: Junior Brice Bohn, 126-pound division, second in district, regional qualifier; sophomore Oliver Tatro, fifth in district, regional alternate; sophomore Noah Chasteen, 120-pound division, sixth in district.

Girls: Senior Avery Kernan, 107-pound division, fourth in district, regional qualifier; senior Arianne Mathias, 145-pound division, sixth in district; junior Lillian Carruthers, 100-pound division, sixth in district; sophomore Margaret Schabel, 138-pound division, sixth in district.

Shaw said he was drawn to Aledo because there is middle school wrestling program, which not all school districts have.

"There is a tradition of athletic success and I wanted to be a part of that, and I wanted to help grow and continue a tradition of excellence in the sport of wrestling," he said.

"From what I can tell the JV was a vital part of the success of the athletes on varsity. They wrestled hard and competed well in the JV tournaments and matches that they were entered in. Several athletes who were on JV last year are now wrestling on the varsity. 

Shaw noted the toughness of District 4-5A and Region I, which includes a host of traditionally tough programs. He believes his program can be included when that group is mentioned going forward.

"We are working hard and getting better every day so we will be in a place to compete right away," he said. "If things go as planned, we are on track to be near the top of the district at the end of the season."

The Aledo schedule has a full slate of tournaments, including a mix of 5A and 6A programs which Shaw said will prepare his team for the postseason. 

"We have a few duals scheduled for this year and are looking at adding more in the coming years," he said. 

"I am thankful for the opportunity to coach these athletes and to guide them in growing as students and athletes and learning lessons that will support them as they move beyond high school and into adulthood," Shaw added.

Talon Tournament

Brice Bohn led the Aledo contingent in the Talon Tournament, finishing third in the boys 126-pound division. The Ladycats were led by Joy Stephens, who was ninth in the 126 division.

"We wrestled well. The JV started their season strong with eight guys bringing home hardware. The varsity boys and girls were competitive in a tough tournament. We won several pools on Friday and then wrestled in close matches with some tough kids on Saturday," Shaw said. "I am excited for what is to come after seeing what our teams did at this first tournament." 

The varsity boys were 12th out of 30 teams in the elite tournament and the varsity girls were 19th out of 29.

Also finishing in the top 10 for Aledo:

Varsity boys

106: 9. Cameron Robbins.

120: 7. Dylan Chandler.

132: 6. Oliver Tatro.

285: 10. Cade Rangel.

Varsity girls

107: 10. Avery Kernan.

Junior varsity boys

120: 1. Mateo Douglas, 3. Keyden Lemen.

126: 1. Gabe Opsahl, 2. Noah Chasteen.

138: 2. Blaze Beasley.

144: 4. Lynden Walker.

150: 3. Thomas Hopkins.

157: 2. Will Reese.